The European Court of Justice (CJEU) dismissed an appeal on Friday filed by the European Commission and Council and upheld a previous CJEU decision to invalidate the EU-Morocco fisheries agreement.
The court’s decision follows a 2021 judgment by CJEU that ruled in favor of the Polisario Front, a separatist group seeking independence for the Moroccan Sahara region, which claims that the deal was made without the consent of the Sahrawi people.
The now-invalidated agreement, which expired in July 2023, had allowed EU fishing fleets, predominantly from Spain, to operate in Moroccan waters in exchange for financial compensation totaling EUR 208.7 million over four years.
The ruling has left Spanish fishermen, particularly from Andalusia, Galicia, and the Canary Islands, in dire straits, as their industry reels from the loss of access to Morocco’s abundant and lucrative fishing grounds.
Spanish fishing fleets held 92 out of the 138 licenses that were invalidated along with the collapse of the agreement.
In the lead-up to the ruling, Spain, among other European countries, voiced its support for Morocco. Luis Planas, Spain’s Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, said on Thursday that the ruling will not jeopardize the strong and stable relationship between Spain and Morocco.
“Regardless of the outcome of tomorrow’s ruling, our relations with Morocco and the European Union remain strong and steadfast,” Planas stated. “We are committed to working diligently to ensure their continued stability.”