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EU-Morocco fisheries agreement: WSRW calls to respect CJEU’s decision

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London, March 24, 2018 (SPS) - Western Sahara Resource Watch (WSRW) called to respect the decisions of the Court of Justice of European Union (CJEU) which forbids European boats from fishing in the territorial waters of Western Sahara without the approval of the Sahrawi people.
In a response to the proposal of EU Council to extend EU-Morocco fisheries agreement to Western Sahara, WSRW’s head Sara Eyckmans, said in a communiqué, that CJEU “clearly specified twice that Western Sahara is not part of Morocco and that EU’s agreements with Morocco are not applicable to this territory” under the Moroccan occupation.
In this regard, Eyckmans said that it is “unbelievable that the Commission takes into consideration the position of EU and Morocco concerning the fisheries agreement, but not the opinion of the people of Western Sahara who are the legitimate owners of the waters in which EU’s fleet carries out currently 91.5% of its catching.”
“Apparently, the right is respected only when it coincides with economic interests,” she lamented. (SPS)
062/SPS/APS