Brussels 18 May
Invitation to the inter-parliamentary conference
The EU and Western Sahara: After the
ECJ rulings
on June 7 in the European Parliament
As Members of the European Parliament and the European Parliament Intergroup for Western
Sahara, we are pleased to invite you to an inter-parliamentary conference in solidarity with the
people of Western Sahara. The conference will take place on June 7th 2018 at the European
Parliament in Brussels.
It will host knowledgeable panel speakers as well as Members of the European and National
Parliaments who will share their views and initiatives in relation to the Western Sahara conflict.
Together, they will discuss the role and responsibilities of the European Union (EU), its Member
States and European companies in this protracted conflict, and explore the political and legal
possibilities to enforce European and international law and complete the decolonisation process
undertaken by the United Nations (UN). The conference will seek to develop strategies for more
coordinated and effective action at European level.
On 21 December 2016, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that no EU-Morocco trade or
association agreement can be applied to Western Sahara, as it is a distinct and separate territory
from Morocco, unless there is consent of the people of Western Sahara. The UN-recognised legal
representative of the people of Western Sahara is POLISARIO Front. On 27 February 2018, the
ECJ also ruled that the EU-Morocco Fisheries Agreement cannot be applied to Western Sahara or
its adjacent waters, as that would violate the people of Western Sahara's right to self-
determination. However, in spite of these ECJ rulings, the European Commission and the
Member States are engaged in negotiations of new agriculture and fisheries agreements with
Morocco in relation to Western Sahara.
The conference should be an appropriate occasion to reiterate our demand that the EU must
respect international law, and abide by the rulings of the ECJ. It will also be an opportunity to
gather European and National Members of Parliaments with representatives from law, NGOs,
sectors and activists to discuss the EU responsibilities towards Western Sahara.
Please register no later than 31st May by sending an email to
If
you do not have valid accreditation to the EP, please include the following information: name,
date of birth, nationality, type and number of ID (passport or ID-card) and organisation. You can
collect your badge on the day of the event between 8.30 and 8.45 at the former info-point of the
EP (Esplanade Solidarnosc). Participants cover their own costs.
The draft programme is attached to this invitation.
Yours sincerely,
Jytte GUTELAND
Patrizia TOIA
Florent MARCELLESI
Bodil VALERO
Ivo VAJGL
Paloma LOPEZ BERMEJO