The EU’s ‘diplomatic accident’ with Morocco shows the perils of judge-led foreign policy

Morocco announced at the end of February that it was suspending ties with the European Union. The statement was issued following a ruling by the European Court of Justice that an EU-Morocco trade deal was illegal on the basis that it included the territory of Western Sahara. Luigi Lonardo writes that while the ruling is currently being appealed, the incident illustrates some of the dangers of the EU’s judiciary playing an active role in reviewing diplomatic and foreign policy issues.