The Polisario Front will claim 240 million euro per year in compensation for damages due to the export of products from Western Sahara to the European Union without their consent. In addition, the Front will sue specific European companies if they do not regulate their situation with the legitimate representative of the Saharawi people.
"We will sue for the damage caused against the European Union. We have exact figures. (...) Exports from Western Sahara amount to 240 million per year," stated the lawyer of the Polisario Front, Gilles Devers.
"We are going to demand this," said the lawyer, who added that they were being very generous because they were not claiming compensation for exports of products from the Sahrawi territory prior to December 21, 2016, when the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that the agricultural agreement between the EU and Morocco was not applicable to Western Sahara and that the Saharawi people must give their consent to the exploitation of their natural resources.
The representative of the Polisario Front in Europe, Mohamed Sidati, said that this figure could constitute reparation and damage, even though the damage caused was much bigger. It's been almost 40 years of occupation, he said, adding that one should also take into account the ecological damage caused by the destruction of several biodiversity spots.
Devers said they would take the shortest amount of time possible to analyze the ruling of the Court of Justice of the EU of February 27. He also said that, if there was no change on the consent that the EU and its member states required from the Polisario Front, which they deem is the only legitimate representative of the Saharawi people, they would quickly take action.
"In agriculture, we are going to start a process against IDYL in the next few days," the lawyer said, referring to the French society that imports tomatoes from the Sahara.
Source: Europa Press