Governing Bodies
Morocco gets big score at UK Appeals Court
The London Court of Appeal has rejected an appeal by Polisario which petitioned against the trade agreement between the UK and Morocco.
The lawsuit was aimed to convince the British court to re-examine an agreement that was signed back in 2019 to preserve and strengthen the trade relations between the two countries after Brexit, especially in key areas like renewable energy and tourism.
“We will continue to work closely with Morocco to maximize the £2.7 billion in trade between our countries,” a spokesperson for the UK Department for International Trade said after the first sentence against the pro Polisario NGO, WSC in December.
The spokesperson welcomed the ruling and emphasized that the UK and Morocco are determined to continue exchanges through the agreement.
According to several Moroccan and British analysts, the court’s decision also highlights the repeated failures of the real instigator of the conflict over the Moroccan Sahara, who, despite his malicious intentions, is failing in his attempts to persuade the British judiciary to re-examine the post-Brexit trade agreement concluded and supported by the two Kingdoms.
Indeed, trade between the two countries has grown steadily since the agreement was signed, with bilateral flows peaking at £2.9 billion in Q3 2022, up £1 billion on the same period last year.
The Association Agreement between Morocco and the United Kingdom, signed in London on October 26, 2019, has been in force since January 1, 2021.
It restores, in the context of bilateral relations, all the effects that the two countries granted each other, within the framework of the Morocco-EU Association Agreement. It thus ensures the continuity of trade between Morocco and the UK after December 31, 2020.
The agreement enables Britain and Morocco to establish a structured partnership on a long-term basis, with operational and institutionalized cooperation instruments, and driven by a shared ambition.
The Agreement constitutes a guarantee for Moroccan and British companies undertaking economic and commercial relations in all sectors of cooperation.