Sahrawi Association Condemns European Commission’s “New Maneuver” to Circumvent European Court of Justice Ruling

Occupied Laayoune – The Sahrawi Association for Monitoring Resources and Environmental Protection denounced what it described as a “new, exposed, and blatant maneuver” by the European Commission to circumvent the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling regarding Western Sahara. The association accused the Commission of “clear collusion” with the Moroccan occupation to “legitimize” the plundering of the Sahrawi people’s resources, according to a statement reported by *aps.dz* on September 7, 2025. The association’s statement declared, “In a dangerous development that once again exposes the double standards of some of its institutions and their collusion with the Moroccan occupation, the European Commission continues its attempts to bypass the ECJ’s ruling issued on October 4, 2024, which clearly affirmed the illegality of any agreement involving Western Sahara’s territories and resources without the explicit consent of the Polisario Front, the sole legitimate representative of the Sahrawi people.” The statement cited a recent report by Spanish journalist Francisco Carrión in *El Independiente*, which revealed that on July 22, 2025, the European Commission proposed to the EU Council the initiation of new negotiations with Morocco to amend the 2018 agreement. This move aims to create a new legal framework to continue the exploitation of Western Sahara’s natural resources under the guise of compliance with European and international law, bypassing the ECJ ruling. The association emphasized that “discussing amendments to the agreement to continue trade partnerships with Morocco that include Western Sahara is a direct violation of international and European law and is wholly unacceptable, especially given the ongoing Moroccan occupation and systematic plundering of Sahrawi resources.” It described the European Commission’s move, explicitly supported by France and Spain, as “a failed attempt to undermine a binding judicial ruling from Europe’s highest judicial authority, perpetuating a policy of double standards that characterizes European positions on the Sahrawi issue.” The association further noted that this maneuver seeks to dilute the ECJ’s historic ruling and reduce it to a mere opinion open to interpretation or negotiation, paving the way for a return to the pre-October 4, 2025, status quo, where Sahrawi resources were plundered openly without regard for the will or rights of the Sahrawi people. The association stressed that “any agreement involving Western Sahara without the consent of the Polisario Front is legally void and popularly rejected.” It warned that “anyone contributing to legitimizing the occupation or benefiting from its resources is complicit in the crime of plundering the resources of an occupied people, and such violations will be documented and legally pursued.” The Sahrawi Association expressed its categorical rejection of “any European attempt to amend or renew trade agreements involving Western Sahara without the Polisario Front’s consent.” It called on the ECJ to “urgently intervene to protect the independence of its rulings and prevent any attempts at circumvention or manipulation.” The association held the European Union and the European Commission “legally and morally responsible for any steps that legitimize the Moroccan occupation and contribute to the continued suffering of the Sahrawi people.” It urged European civil society and international human rights organizations to “take urgent action to expose and condemn this maneuver before European and global public opinion