Belgium reaffirmed its commitment to the European Union’s “friendship and strategic partnership” with Morocco on Saturday, following the Court of Justice of the European Union’s (CJEU) ruling on the agriculture and fisheries agreement.
The ruling relates to the labeling of agricultural products and fisheries from the Southern Provinces of the Kingdom. The court’s decision stems from a 2021 ruling by the CJEU in favor of the Polisario Front, a separatist group seeking independence for the Moroccan Sahara region, which claims that the deal was concluded without the consent of the Sahrawi people.
Belgium’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, and Development Cooperation endorsed the recent joint statement from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Vice President Josep Borrell, which reaffirms the EU’s “long-standing, wide-ranging, and deep” partnership with Morocco.
The FM also committed to further strengthening the bilateral relationship between Morocco and Belgium.
European partners such as France and Spain have also affirmed their unwavering commitment to maintaining strong ties with Morocco and to respecting the CJEU’s ruling.
Both countries reiterated that EU-Morocco relations are of “strategic importance.”