EU legal adviser backs cancellation of EU-Morocco fishing agreement over disputed Western Sahara

RABAT, Morocco (AP) — A legal adviser to the European Union’s top court has recommended that it annul Europe’s fishing agreement with Morocco, which would have allowed European boats to fish for valuable catch off the coast of the disputed Western Sahara. Advocate General Tamara Capeta recommended Thursday that the court reject appeals challenging Europe’s Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement with Morocco. The European Council appealed a 2021 ruling that the agreement violated the rights of people from the disputed Western Sahara, a region that produces tomatoes, melons and fish exported to Europe. The recommendations come as an increasing number of countries back Morocco’s autonomy plan over the disputed territory.