Seanad debate reveals Ireland approved EU-Morocco trade deal despite concerns over Western Sahara (data.oireachtas.ie)

• Ireland voted in favour of EU-Morocco trade deal amendment on 2 Oct 2025.
• Ireland registered procedural and substantive concerns about the process.
• CJEU deadline of 4 Oct 2025 was met with provisional application from 3 Oct.
• Senator Higgins criticised the deal for failing to obtain explicit Sahrawi consent.
• Humanitarian aid of €9 million was linked to the trade agreement.

"In a Seanad debate on 14 Oct 2025, Ireland's Minister of State Neale Richmond confirmed that Ireland voted in favour of an amended EU-Morocco trade agreement via written procedure on 2 Oct 2025, ensuring EU compliance with the October 2024 CJEU deadline. However, Ireland registered procedural and substantive concerns about the Commission's handling, reiterating that self-determination of the Sahrawi people must be paramount. The amended agreement was signed on 3 Oct 2025 and provisionally applied. Senator Alice-Mary Higgins criticised the deal as entrenching occupation."