Occupied El Aaiun (Sahrawi Republic) 23 January 2025 (SPS) – The Committee for the Support of Sahrawi People's Right to Self-Determination (CODAPSO) praised, in a statement on Wednesday, the stance expressed by the European Union Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism on January 20, on behalf of the European Commission, in which he affirmed that the Euro-Mediterranean Civil Aviation Agreement between the EU and Morocco does not apply to the airspace of Western Sahara.
In a written response to a parliamentary question, the European official stated that the EU Commission had informed EU airlines on December 3, 2024, during a consultative meeting on the EU's external aviation policy, of the need to respect European Court of Justice (ECJ) rulings related to Western Sahara.
Sidi Mohamed Dadach, President of CODAPSO and eminent Sahrawi human rights defender, expressed his appreciation for this step, considering it a positive indication of the EU's commitment to international law.
However, CODAPSO’s statement emphasized that this European acknowledgment remains insufficient unless accompanied by practical measures to compel EU states and companies to fully comply with ECJ rulings.
European Courts’ rulings have repeatedly affirmed that agreements between the EU and Morocco cannot include the territory, waters, or airspace of Western Sahara, as Morocco does not have sovereignty over this partially occupied North African country.
The EU Commissioner's statement came in response to a written question posed by Irish MEP Lynn Boylan, from the Left group, regarding the violation of ECJ rulings by the European airline "Ryanair," which operates flights connecting EU countries and Western Sahara.
CODAPSO, along with many other Sahrawi organizations, calls on the EU Commission to go beyond verbal declarations and take practical steps to prevent these violations and ensure compliance with European court decisions. (SPS)
090/500/60 (SPS)
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