Ursula von der Leyen, Josep Borrell Reaffirm EU’s Commitment to Preserve, Strengthen Close Ties with Morocco in All Areas in Accordance with ‘Pacta sunt Servanda’ Principle

In a joint statement issued on Friday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU High Representative Josep Borrell reaffirmed the European Union’s commitment to further preserve and strengthen its close relations with Morocco in all areas, in accordance with the ‘pacta sunt servanda’ principle (Latin for: agreements must be respected). “In close cooperation with Morocco, the EU firmly intends to preserve and continue strengthening close relations with Morrocco in all areas of the Morocco-EU Partnership, in line with the principle of pacta sunt servanda,” stated von der Leyen and Borrell in this joint statement, which represents EU’s highest political act, following the rulings of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) on the fishing and agricultural agreements between Morocco and the EU. This is also a rare act that underscores the importance of Morocco and materializes the significance of the EU’s partnership with the Kingdom. The two officials reiterated the “high value” that the EU attaches to “its strategic Partnership with Morocco, which is long-standing, wide-ranging and deep,” emphasizing that the two parties have, over the years, established “a profound friendship and a solid and multi-faceted cooperation, which we intend to take to the next level in the coming weeks and months.” They also indicated that Brussels “takes note” of ECJ’s rulings on the appeals against the September 29, 2021 ruling, as well as the response to the request for a preliminary ruling regarding the labeling of fruits and vegetables from the southern provinces of the Kingdom, adding that the European Commission is “currently analyzing the rulings in detail.” “In this context, we take note that  that the European Court of Justice preserves the validity of the agreement on agricultural products for an additional 12 months,” the joint statement said.