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EU to present a new version of agricultural agreement with Morocco

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London, January 16, 2016 (SPS)- The European Union (EU) is considering a revision of the controversial agricultural agreement with Morocco by presenting a new version in accordance with the international law which emphasizes the need for consultation and agreement of the Saharawi people for all activities relating to the exploitation of its natural resources, reports the London newspaper Al Quds Al-Arabi.

 

The European Commission which has decided to appeal the decision of the Court of Justice (ECJ) which annulled on December 10th, the EU-Morocco agricultural agreement signed in 2012, is convinced that it will not win the case, said Al-Quds Al Arabi newspaper, citing "well-informed" sources.

 

The agriculture agreement concluded in 2012 between Morocco and the EU was in fact cancelled by a decision of the European Court of Justice in December, following a complaint filed by the Polisario Front.

 

The ECJ stated in its ruling released last December 10 that the EU Council has failed in its duty to check whether the exploitation of Western Sahara's natural resources is beneficial or not to the population of this territory.

 

Now, the European Commission wants to propose a new version of the agricultural agreement, similar to the fisheries agreement that set up a monitoring mechanism to verify that the agreement benefits the people of Western Sahara.

 

But, the Polisario Front has already brought an action before the EU court for the cancellation of this fisheries agreement between the EU and the Morocco. (SPS)

 

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