European vessels fishing in Western Sahara’s rich waters are in violation of international law, according to the European Parliament’s own legal service. The people of Western Sahara have never been consulted about, or benefited from, the exploitation of their fisheries resources, reveals Western Sahara Resource Watch.
The fisheries partnership agreement between the EU and Morocco was condemned last year by the Legal Service, which recommended that the wishes and interests of the Saharawi population be discussed at the next EU-Morocco Joint Fisheries Committee meeting in February 2010. The European Commission ignored the request and the issue was not even put on the agenda.
