Nils Torvalds, on behalf of the ALDE Group. – Madam President, two years ago Parliament reacted to the Fisheries Partnership Agreement with Morocco. I am sorry to say that the Commission did not take note of the very key points behind Parliament’s reaction. While the new agreement constitutes an improvement from an economic point of view, there are only cosmetic changes when it comes to human rights and the right to self-determination of the Sahrawi people. Under international law, Western Sahara is occupied. That is a fact. Civilised policies therefore exclude Western Sahara when concluding agreements with Morocco, since any other action would constitute a breach of international law. We should do the same.

The Commission says that the new agreement will address our concerns regarding human rights, but without the right to self-determination no human rights are respected. The EU must be consistent when we speak of our core values. There cannot be a ‘but’ after human rights and international law – ‘we are for human rights “but”’ – therefore I have asked my group to vote against the agreement. And I am sorry, Commissioner Damanaki, but you might still experience the shameful day when the European Court of Justice declares this agreement null and void.