Germany has thrown its support behind a new EU-Morocco trade arrangement covering products from the Moroccan Sahara, saying it has no reservations about the deal and considers it compatible with a 2024 ruling by the European Union’s top court. The German government outlined its position in a response to questions from Left party lawmakers. The […] The post Germany backs EU-Morocco trade deal covering Moroccan products from the Sahara appeared first on HESPRESS English - Morocco News .
Germany has thrown its support behind a new EU-Morocco trade arrangement covering products from the Moroccan Sahara, saying it has no reservations about the deal and considers it compatible with a 2024 ruling by the European Union’s top court.
The German government outlined its position in a response to questions from Left party lawmakers. The Aug. 24 document also shows that Berlin lacks independent data on key aspects of the arrangement’s implementation.
Instead, Germany is relying largely on the European Commission’s assessment that the agreement meets the legal requirements set out by the Court of Justice of the European Union.
The court ruled in October 2024 that earlier EU-Morocco agriculture and fisheries agreements could not apply to the Moroccan Sahara without meeting requirements linked to the territory’s status and the right to self-determination.
The ruling forced the EU to rethink how its trade arrangements with Morocco apply to products from the Moroccan Sahara.
The EU and Morocco subsequently agreed on a new framework that keeps preferential tariff treatment for products originating in the territory. The arrangement has been provisionally applied since October 2025.
Under the new system, products from the Moroccan Sahara can continue to benefit from preferential access to the European market, while their origin is identified according to the relevant production areas.
The arrangement also includes a monitoring mechanism designed to assess its economic impact and whether local populations benefit from the trade generated under the agreement.
But the German government said it does not have its own detailed information on how that monitoring system is working in practice.
Berlin also said it lacks independent data identifying all companies benefiting from the arrangement or showing its precise impact on jobs, local income and economic activity.
The same applies to detailed information on some agricultural, fishing and other economic activities in the Moroccan Sahara, with the German government referring to the European Commission for much of the available data.
The Commission has argued that the new framework addresses the concerns raised by the EU court and provides a system for monitoring the benefits generated by the trade preferences.
The post Germany backs EU-Morocco trade deal covering Moroccan products from the Sahara appeared first on HESPRESS English - Morocco News.
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