France Mandates ‘Western Sahara’ as the Sole Country of Origin for Products from the Occupied Territory

BY: Dr. Hana Saada

Algiers, Algeria | January 31st, 2025 — In a landmark decision with significant political and economic ramifications, France’s Council of State ruled on Tuesday, January 28, that all products originating from Western Sahara must be explicitly labeled as such, rather than falsely marked as Moroccan. The ruling aligns with a prior decision by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), reinforcing the legal and geopolitical distinction between Morocco and the occupied Sahrawi territory.

The decision follows a legal challenge spearheaded by the French Farmers’ Union, which sought to ban the import of cherry tomatoes and watermelons cultivated in Western Sahara but misleadingly labeled as Moroccan products. The Council of State, the highest administrative court in France, upheld the principle that consumers must not be misled about the true origin of products, a ruling rooted in both EU legal precedent and the imperative of transparency in international trade.

This verdict deals a major blow to Morocco’s ongoing attempts to assert sovereignty over Western Sahara through economic means, including the export of agricultural goods under a falsified country-of-origin label. The French ruling echoes the binding judgment issued by the CJEU, which had previously declared that products sourced from Western Sahara must bear their actual geographical designation, not that of Morocco, in order to prevent consumer deception and uphold international law.

The legal dispute over product labeling is a microcosm of the broader geopolitical struggle between Morocco and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), the latter being recognized by dozens of countries and a full-fledged member of the African Union. Western Sahara remains one of the world’s last unresolved colonial conflicts, with the United Nations classifying it as a non-self-governing territory pending decolonization. Morocco’s continued occupation and economic exploitation of the region, including its lucrative agricultural sector, have been widely condemned by human rights organizations and international legal bodies.

The French ruling is expected to set a precedent not only for France but also for other European nations, reinforcing the EU’s position that Western Sahara and Morocco are two distinct entities under international law. It also casts doubt on Morocco’s ongoing efforts to integrate the occupied territory into its trade agreements with the European Union. In previous cases, the EU courts have consistently ruled that Western Sahara cannot be included in trade deals negotiated with Morocco without the explicit consent of the Sahrawi people, a principle that has been systematically ignored by Rabat.

With this decision, France—long regarded as a staunch ally of Morocco—has now aligned itself with international legal standards, underscoring the growing pressure on European nations to distance themselves from Morocco’s unlawful economic claims over Western Sahara. The ruling not only affirms the rights of Sahrawi producers but also strengthens global advocacy for the self-determination of the Sahrawi people, whose struggle for independence continues in defiance of Moroccan occupation.

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