Statements & Publications
Press release FISHERY AGREEMENT BETWEEN EUROPEAN UNION AND MOROCCO ILLEGAL
Beside the coast of Western Sahara - which is illegally occupied by Morocco - fishing vessels from member states of the EU are taking part in the exploitation of the fishery resources. The Fishery Partnership Agreement between the EU and Morocco - which has to be renewed regularly - serves as a justification. The agreement is written in a way that it mentions only the fishery resources of Morocco, but does not exclude explicitly the fishing grounds of Western Sahara. Since the Moroccan Government – ignoring innumerable UN Security Council resolutions and the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice – considers Western Sahara as Moroccan territory, the agreement is understood by both sides in a way that it includes the Western Sahara fishing grounds. The current agreement will expire at the end of February 2011.