Chaihd Hafed (Sahrawi Republic) 29 September 2025 (SPS)- The Sahrawi Observatory for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection (SONREP) strongly condemned the European Commission’s attempts to sign a new agreement with the Kingdom of Morocco that includes the occupied territories of Western Sahara, stressing that this step constitutes a blatant violation of international law and the rulings of the European Union Court of Justice, which has repeatedly affirmed that Morocco holds no sovereignty over the territory.
In a Press Release issued Today, the Observatory explained that any agreement concerning Western Sahara without the explicit consent of the Sahrawi people, through their sole internationally recognized representative, the Polisario Front, constitutes an illegal act that undermines the principle of permanent sovereignty over natural resources, directly violates the Charter of the United Nations, and obstructs peace efforts.
Following is the full text of the Press Release of which SPS received a copy:
Sahrawi Observatory for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection (SONREP)
Date: 29-09-2025
SONREP Condemns EU Commission’s Draft Trade Deal Covering Occupied Western Sahara
Western Sahara – The Sahrawi Observatory for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection (SONREP) condemns the European Commission’s advancement of a draft EU–Morocco trade agreement that explicitly includes Western Sahara.
The Commission’s actions represent a deliberate attempt to circumvent the rulings of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), which have consistently confirmed that Western Sahara is a territory separate and distinct from Morocco, and that no agreement may lawfully apply to it without the consent of the Sahrawi people.
Negotiating such an agreement with Morocco, and excluding the Sahrawi people from the process, constitutes a violation of international law, including the principle of permanent sovereignty over natural resources. It also undermines the UN-led peace process and erodes the credibility of the European Union as an actor bound by its own legal order.
SONREP recalls that the CJEU has annulled similar EU–Morocco agreements in the past precisely because they applied to Western Sahara without the consent of its people. Ignoring these binding decisions not only entrenches occupation but also exposes European institutions and companies to serious legal and reputational risks.
SONREP calls on the European Commission and EU Member States to:
- Immediately suspend all negotiations with Morocco concerning Western Sahara.
- Commit publicly to full compliance with the CJEU’s rulings and with international law.
- Ensure that any future agreement is contingent upon the free, prior, and informed consent of the Sahrawi people, through it legal representative the Polisario Front in accordance with their right to self-determination.
- Incorporate robust safeguards for human rights and environmental protection, subject to independent monitoring.
- Call on EU institutions and MEPs to uphold their legal and ethical duty to protect the Sahrawi people’s rights and sovereignty.
The Sahrawi people alone have the right to determine the use of their land and resources. Any trade arrangement that excludes them is illegal, unethical, and unsustainable.
For more information contact : [email protected]". (SPS)
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