Morocco: 5 questions to understand the EU fisheries deal, Western Sahara negotiations

On Monday, 20 March, a meeting was held between the various European agriculture ministers. Among the topics discussed was the renewal of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement (SFPA) between the European Union (EU) and Morocco, expiring on 17 July.

Adopted on 18 July 2019 for a period of four years, this agreement and its agricultural counterpart were invalidated by the EU General Court on 29 September 2021 on grounds that “the requirement of consent of the people of Western Sahara, as a third party to the agreements at issue…has not been met.”