ECJ: New Snub for Separatist Support in EU Parliament

The European Parliament (EP), which kicked off its plenary session in Strasbourg on Monday (October 7-10), rejected an attempt by some separatist supporters to include on the agenda a debate on the rulings of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) relating to the Morocco-EU agreements on fisheries and agriculture. The proposal, put forward by the Left Group, some of whose members are accustomed to gesticulating on the basis of an outdated ideology, was rejected by a majority vote of MEPs from all the political currents represented in the EP. This snub for the separatists and their meagre support once again puts things in order and demonstrates the isolation of the ECJ within the EU institutions and its member states, as well as the separatists’ supporters within the European hemicycle. The European institution’s dismissal of the case comes on the heels of the joint statement by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU High Representative Josep Borrell, who reaffirmed the European bloc’s commitment to further preserving and strengthening close relations with Morocco in all areas, in line with the “pacta sunt servanda” principle. The declaration, a rare political act that underlines the importance of Morocco and materializes the significance of the EU’s partnership with the Kingdom, reiterates the “high value” the EU attaches to “its long-standing, broad and deep strategic partnership with Morocco.”