After the European Parliament's Committee on International Trade voted in favor of the agricultural agreement, Monday in Brussels, the Polisario slammed the EU body for allowing that. One day after the European Parliament's Committee on International Trade voted in favor of the agricultural agreement, signed by Morocco and the European Union, the Polisario rejected the decision. In a communiqué made public Tuesday, the Front's «Minister Delegate to Europe» Mohamed Sidati slammed the International Trade Commission for supporting the report drafted by French MEP Patricia Lalonde. The latter, according to SPS, included in her report «Western Sahara, contradicting the judgment of the European Court of Justice». «The European Parliament takes a shameful decision, by supporting the report whose author was forced to resign because of her involvement in dubious activities», argued Mohamed Sidati, stressing that «this vote shows the efforts of the European leaders to annul the clear and rigorous terms of the courts of justice». The official indicated that the «agreement is clearly illegal», stressing that the «European Parliament's own legal services reached the conclusion that it was not clear whether the Sahrawi people had welcomed the amendment presented, a key element for the European Court of Justice in the December 2016 ruling». The Court of Justice of the European Union's ruling The European Commission, however, doesn't share the same opinion. «The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruling does not declare that the agreement cannot cover the Sahara. It just opens the door to a legal interpretation that respects international law», said a European Commission representative during a debate that took place on the 9th of October at the European Parliament. Ignoring that, Sidati declared that «unfortunately, [the Polisario] has no choice but to refer the matter to the Court of Justice, whose previous decisions show that international law is on [its] side». Sidati claimed that the European partners must «review their current policies to support the efforts of the personal envoy of the Secretary Genera of the UN, Horst Kohler, to promote dialogue between the parties», referring to the round table that took place on December the 5th and 6th in Geneva.
