Judgment of the General Court of 29 September 2021 — Front Polisario v Council

(Joined Cases T-344/19 and T-356/19) (1)

(External relations - International agreements - Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreement EC-Morocco - Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Kingdom of Morocco - Implementation Protocol to the Partnership Agreement - Exchange of Letters accompanying the Partnership Agreement - Decision to conclude - Regulation on the allocation of fishing opportunities between Member States - Action for annulment - Admissibility - Capacity to be a party to legal proceedings - Direct concern - Individual concern - Territorial scope - Jurisdiction - Interpretation of international law adopted by the Court - Principle of self-determination - Principle of the relative effect of treaties - Possibility of relying thereon - Concept of consent - Implementation - Discretion - Limits - Maintaining the effects of the contested decision)

(2021/C 490/33)

Language of the case: French

Parties

Applicant: Front populaire pour la libération de la Saguia el-Hamra et du Rio de oro (Front Polisario) (represented by: G. Devers, lawyer)

Defendant: Council of the European Union (represented by: F. Naert, P. Plaza García and V. Piessevaux, acting as Agents)

Intervener in support of the defendant in Cases T-344/19 and T-356/19: Kingdom of Spain (represented by: S. Centeno Huerta, acting as Agent)

Intervener in support of the defendant in Cases T-344/19 and T-356/19: French Republic (represented by: A.-L. Desjonquères, C. Mosser, J.-L. Carré and T. Stéhelin, acting as Agents)

Intervener in support of the defendant in Cases T-344/19 and T-356/19: European Commission (represented by: F. Castillo de la Torre, A. Bouquet and A. Stobiecka-Kuik, acting as Agents)

Interveners in support of the defendant in Case T-344/19: Chambre des pêches maritimes de la Méditerranée (Tangier, Morocco), Chambre des pêches maritimes de l’Atlantique Nord (Casablanca, Morocco), Chambre des pêches maritimes de l’Atlantique Centre (Agadir, Morocco), Chambre des pêches maritimes de l’Atlantique Sud (Dakhla, Western Sahara) (represented by: G. Forwood, N. Colin and A. Hublet, lawyers)

Re:

In Case T-344/19, application under Article 263 TFEU for annulment of Council Decision (EU) 2019/441 of 4 March 2019 on the conclusion of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Kingdom of Morocco, the Implementation Protocol thereto and the Exchange of Letters accompanying the Agreement (OJ 2019 L 77, p. 4) and, in Case T-356/19, application under Article 263 TFEU for annulment of Council Regulation (EU) 2019/440 of 29 November 2018 on the allocation of fishing opportunities under the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Kingdom of Morocco and the Implementation Protocol thereto (OJ 2019 L 77, p. 1).

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:

1. Annuls Council Decision (EU) 2019/441 of 4 March 2019 on the conclusion of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Kingdom of Morocco, the Implementation Protocol thereto and the Exchange of Letters accompanying the Agreement;

2. Maintains the effects of Decision 2019/441 during a period not exceeding the period set out in the first paragraph of Article 56 of the Statute of the Court of Justice of the European Union or, if an appeal is lodged within that period, until the Court of Justice delivers judgment on that appeal;

3. Dismisses the action in Case T-356/19;

4. Orders the Council of the European Union to bear its own costs and to pay the costs incurred by Front populaire pour la libération de la Saguia el-Hamra et du Rio de Oro (Front Polisario) in Case T-344/19;

5. Orders Front Polisario to bear its own costs and to pay the costs incurred by the Council in Case T-356/19;

6. Orders the Kingdom of Spain, the French Republic and the European Commission to bear their own costs;

7. Orders Chambre des pêches maritimes de la Méditerranée, Chambre des pêches maritimes de l’Atlantique Nord, Chambre des pêches maritimes de l’Atlantique Centre and Chambre des pêches maritimes de l’Atlantique Sud to bear their own costs in Case T-344/19.

(1) OJ C 270, 12.8.2019