Phosphate trade and EU-Morocco relations

Details

Supervisors

Legrand, Vincent

Faculty

Faculté des sciences économiques, sociales, politiques et de communication

Degree label

Master [120] en études européennes, à finalité spécialisée: gouvernance et sociétés européennes

Abstract

enThis Master’s Mémoire examines the subject of phosphate trade and its impact on EU-Morocco relations. The European Union categorizes phosphate rock as a critical raw material owing to its essential role in key strategic sectors of the economy such as the agricultural and food production industries, as well as due to the absence of any viable substitutes. Domestic production of this mineral compound is scarce in Europe. Consequently, the European Union relies heavily on imports in order to meet its phosphate demand, with Morocco serving as the European Union’s main phosphate supplier owing to its vast phosphate reserves and prominent position in the global phosphate market. However, a substantial share of Morocco’s phosphate reserves is located in the disputed territories of Western Sahara. In this regard, although this is not the case at the time of writing of this dissertation, several shipments of Western Saharan phosphate have entered European markets over the past decade. Furthermore, a number of EU-based companies and firms are involved in the phosphate sector in the Western Sahara, either through trade or offering logistical and legal support to Moroccan authorities. These later statements should be analyzed in light of the legal, political and ethical concerns surrounding the exploitation of natural resources in non-self-governing territories pending decolonization, resource governance and, in particular, the rights of the Sahrawi people. Thus, this Master's Mémoires examines the numerous interests at play in the field of EU-Morocco phosphate trade, highlighting the tensions between the supply security of strategic resources and adherence to international law and human rights norms.