The European Court of Justice has ruled that melons and tomatoes from Western Sahara cannot be labeled as “made in Morocco.”
Based in Luxembourg, the European Court of Justice, the EU’s highest legal body, delivered its verdict on a case concerning Morocco’s labeling of products originating from Western Sahara.
The ruling declared that melons and tomatoes grown in Western Sahara must be labeled as originating from that region, not Morocco.
The court stated that labeling such products outside of Western Sahara would mislead consumers.
The Western Sahara Conflict
Tensions persist between the pro-independence Polisario Front, backed by Algeria, and Morocco, which annexed Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, in 1975.
Morocco maintains that the region should remain under its control, while the Polisario Front advocates for Western Sahara’s independence.
The Polisario Front engaged in armed conflict with Moroccan forces until a UN-brokered ceasefire was established in 1991, though talks on the region’s final status have since stalled.
