Brussels – The Sahrawi Observatory for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, along with various European and international civil society organizations, issued a joint statement asserting that the newly approved trade agreement between the European Union and Morocco, explicitly encompassing the territory of Western Sahara, is “illegal and unethical.” The statement emphasized that no trade agreement can override the rights of a people to self-determination and sovereignty over their land and resources.

According to the joint statement reported by the Sahrawi News Agency (SPS), the European Council’s approval of a trade agreement with Morocco that specifically includes Western Sahara “disregards binding rulings from the European Court of Justice, contradicts international law, and undermines the fundamental rights of the Sahrawi people.” The agreement was characterized as “illegal, unethical, and unsustainable.”

The statement referenced the European Court of Justice’s rulings from 2016, 2018, 2021, and 2024, which affirmed that “Western Sahara is a separate and distinct territory from Morocco” and that “no agreement between the EU and Morocco can legally encompass this territory without the free, prior, and informed consent of the Sahrawi people through their legitimate representative, the Polisario Front, which the court has recognized as the legitimate party to consult.”

Additionally, the joint statement invoked the principle of permanent sovereignty over natural resources recognized in international law, asserting that the Sahrawi people alone have the right to determine how their land and resources are utilized.

It was pointed out that “by approving this trade agreement, the EU undermines its own internal legal system and the authority of its court, solidifying Morocco’s illegal occupation of Western Sahara and exposing its institutions, member states, and private companies to significant legal, political, and reputational risks.”

The statement further clarified that “extending trade preferences to include Western Sahara without the consent of the Sahrawi people constitutes a direct violation of international law and EU law.”

Moreover, the statement underscored that “the credibility of the EU is at stake,” arguing that by ignoring its own court’s rulings, the EU diminishes its standing as a reliable actor committed to the rule of law and multilateralism.

In its demands directed at EU institutions, the joint statement called on the European Commission, the European Council, and member states to “suspend the implementation of the new trade agreement between the EU and Morocco concerning its application to Western Sahara and to publicly commit to full compliance with all rulings of the European Court of Justice.” It emphasized the need to renew commitment to the UN-led peace process and the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination.

Alongside these demands, the statement included a call for collective action, urging civil society organizations, unions, research institutes, solidarity movements, and environmental and human rights organizations to support this declaration. The signing organizations stated that they “join a collective effort to defend the sovereignty and rights of the Sahrawi people, uphold international and European law, prevent the illegal exploitation of natural resources under occupation, and hold EU institutions and companies accountable.”

In conclusion, the joint statement conveyed a clear message that “no trade agreement can supersede the rights of a people to self-determination and sovereignty over their land and resources.”

Organizations signing the statement included the Friends of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic Association in Alava, the ACAPS organization in Catalonia, the Finnish Peace Committee, the Novact organization, the Sahrawi Association in the United States, and the International Civil Service in Catalonia.