29 September 2011 -  Keith has expressed deep regret that the European Parliament today voted against a proposal to refer the controversial EU-Morocco fisheries agreement to the European Court of Justice (ECJ), to assess its compatibility with the EU treaties and international law. The initiative, launched by Catalan Green MEP Raül Romeva and supported by Keith, would have been the first time this new power of the EP has been exercised.

The current fisheries agreement between the EU and Morocco allows for the EU fleet to fish in the waters of the Western Sahara, a disputed territory claimed by both the Kingdom of Morocco and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.

Many people consider this to be illegal under international law (Morocco occupies the western part of the Western Sahara, but has never been recognised by the UN, or the EU, as the formal Administering Power), whilst others argue that it is legal. Since there has never been a formal judgement on this matter at EU level, the simplest way to clarify the situation once and for all would be to refer the agreement to the European Court of Justice.

In light of the fact that the Parliament has tragically rejected the opportunity to refer the matter to the ECJ, Keith and his Green colleagues believe that the only responsible course of action for the Commission is to revise this agreement with a view to excluding the waters of Western Sahara, for which the government of Morocco has no responsibility.