EU-Morocco agriculture and fishing agreement has boosted economy and job prospects in the Sahara, says the European Commission

The EU-Morocco agreement, in which agricultural and fishery products exported from Western Sahara receive tariff preferences, is rendering “benefits” on the Kingdom, as well as on the disputed territory, said the European Commission in a recent report.

Based on visits carried out by the staff of the European Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) between September 20 and 30 to the territory, the European Commission released a document on “the benefits for the population of Western Sahara from the extension of tariff preferences to the products,” reported the Spanish news agency, EFE.

The report, dated December 22, 2021, supports the European court’s decision to appeal the judgments of the General Court of the European Union (TEU) that annulled the agriculture and fishing agreements between the EU and Morocco, in light of the Polisario Front’s accusations that the agreement exploited Sahraoui land.

TEU also annulled the tariff advantages that the bloc grants to Western Sahara’s products under the trade agreement between Brussels and Rabat. Until the final judgment of the court, both agreements remain in effect.

In 2020, Morocco’s agricultural exports to the EU – mainly tomatoes and melons – reached a value of EUR 79.5 million, creating more than 14,000 direct jobs in the Dakhla region, said the report.

Regarding the fishing sector, Morocco exported 140,500 tons of fishery products to the EU in 2020, worth EUR 412 million.

Moreover, the document underlined ongoing plans to “further develop” the fishing industry in Western Sahara by facilitating access to additional land and submitting fishing licenses to more operators, creating more than 123,000 jobs, an increase of 37% since 2016, when the agreement came into effect.

“Morocco’s development and investment plans have played an important role in the development of Western Sahara,” added the European Commission, highlighting projects such as the new port in Dakhla, a wind farm, and a desalination plant that could boost the development in the region.