The EU institutions’ consultations with the people of the Western Sahara were insufficient to establish their consent to deals which concerned them, the court said.

Polisario responds after European Court of Justice rules that fisheries deal violated right to self-determination of Western Sahara's people

The European Court of Justice ruled on Friday that the European Commission had breached the right of people in Western Sahara to self-determination by concluding trade deals with Morocco.

On October 4, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) is expected to announce its decision regarding an appeal from the French Confédération Paysanne against the French government’s authorization of agricultural imports from Western Sahara.

Today, the European Court of Justice ruled that fisheries and agriculture agreements between the EU and Morocco five years ago did not involve consultations with the people of Western Sahara. The Court stated that the European Commission had violated the people of Western Sahara’s right to self-determination by entering into trade agreements with Morocco.

Algeria has expressed satisfaction with a recent ruling by the European Court of Justice (CJEU) that annulled trade agreements between the European Union and Morocco. The Algerian Foreign Ministry hailed the decision as “a recognition of the Sahrawi people’s rights over the natural resources in Western Sahara.