On Thursday, May 25, 2023, the Court of Appeal of London rejected the appeal of the Western Sahara Campaign (WSC), a pro-separatist NGO, against the previous decision of the Administrative Court.
The Administrative Court had rejected WSC’s request to challenge the association agreement between Morocco and the United Kingdom.
This latest rejection marks the third setback for the opponents of Morocco’s territorial integrity since December. It affirms the validity of the association agreement between the two countries, which benefits the populations and promotes development across all regions of the Kingdom.
The court’s judgment strengthens Morocco’s position. It also confirms the legitimacy of the Kingdom’s actions in its southern provinces and the compliance of its natural resource exploitation with international legality.
Morocco is pleased with the court’s recognition that the “polisario” holds no authority in matters concerning the economic development of the southern provinces. Trade relations between Morocco and the United Kingdom are solely between these two parties.
“We will continue to work closely with Morocco to maximize the £2.7 billion in trade between our countries,” a spokesperson for the UK Department for International Trade said after the first sentence against WSC in December.
The spokesperson welcomed the ruling and emphasized that the UK and Morocco are determined to continue exchanges through the agreement.
According to renowned international analysts, this court decision also underscores the repeated failures of the main instigator of the conflict over the Moroccan Sahara. Despite its malicious intentions, the party has failed to convince British justice to reconsider the post-Brexit trade agreement supported by both kingdoms.
Since the agreement was signed on October 26, 2019, and entered into force on January 1, 2021, trade between Morocco and the United Kingdom has steadily grown. Bilateral flows reached £2.9 billion in Q3 2022, a £1 billion increase compared to the same period the previous year.
The Association Agreement between Morocco and the United Kingdom restores all the effects agreed upon by both countries within the framework of the Morocco-EU Association Agreement. It ensures the continuity of trade between the two countries beyond December 31, 2020.
By establishing a structured partnership with operational and institutionalized cooperation mechanisms, the agreement provides Moroccan and British companies with a guarantee for engaging in economic and commercial relations across all sectors of cooperation.
Both kingdoms are committed to this partnership, driven by a shared ambition.
Trade between Morocco and the UK has been developing recently, with education, renewables, and tourism being key areas.
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