EU foreign ministers to include Western Sahara under agricultural agreement with Morocco

European Union (EU) foreign ministers have approved a resolution to include the disputed Western Sahara region under an agricultural agreement signed with Morocco, the Maghreb Arab Press (MAP) reported.

“The decision aims to strengthen the legal basis for products exported from the Western Sahara region to the European Union, with commercial preferences and supporting the region’s development” MAP quoted an unnamed European source as saying.

“The decision will also enable the EU to continue to boost its partnership with Morocco and lead the way on the fishing agreement between the two partners in the coming months” the source added.

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No official comment has been made on the matter by EU institutions.

The Morocco-EU fishing agreement ended on 14 July without the parties reaching a new agreement after the recent decision of the EU Court of Justice to exclude the Western Sahara region from the agreement.

The agreement allows European vessels to enter the Moroccan fishing zone in the Atlantic Ocean for an annual fee of €30 million ($35.7 million) in addition €10 million ($11.9 million) as a contribution from shipowners.

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