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Federica Cristani: THE POLICY OF THE EUROPEAN UNION TOWARD WESTERN SAHARA A case-study on the compatibility of the new EU-Morocco Fisheries Protocol with international law. Nr. 2019/5.

The purpose of this paper is to give a general overview of the policy adopted by the European Union (EU) toward Western Sahara, with a particular focus on the Fisheries Protocol concluded by the EU and Morocco in 2013, which extends for another four-year term the 2007 Fisheries Partnership Agreement (FPA). After a brief introduction to the topic, the paper focuses on the Fisheries Protocol between EU and Morocco and offers a legal analysis of its compatibility with international law. In this respect, it examines the legal problems related to the 2007 Fisheries Protocol between Morocco and EU, with particular reference to the question of its territorial applicability. It also offers an insight into the question of sovereignty over natural resources in Western Sahara as well as the legal opinions adopted during the years by the European Parliament’s Legal Service. It then discusses the obligations of non-recognition of the EU and offers some concluding remarks.

The working paper is available for download here.

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