Perpignan, June 1, 2026 (SPS) – Trade union and civil society organizations have launched a new campaign targeting the AZURA Group over its activities in occupied Western Sahara.
Through an open letter and a public petition, the Catalonia for the Freedom of the Sahrawi People Collective, together with several French organizations, has called on the company to respect European court rulings, stop presenting the city of Dakhla as a Moroccan city, and ensure that products exported to Europe carry origin labels that accurately reflect their true provenance.
According to the organizers, the issue goes beyond purely commercial considerations. It concerns respect for international law, the Sahrawi people's right to control their natural resources, and the obligation of companies operating within the European market not to contribute to the entrenchment or normalization of the occupation of Western Sahara.
In their open letter, the signatories condemned AZURA Group’s promotional and commercial materials, which describe Dakhla as being located in the “south of Morocco.” They argue that this characterization contradicts rulings issued by European courts, which have repeatedly affirmed that Western Sahara has a legal status that is “separate and distinct” from that of Morocco.
The organizations recalled that, on October 4, 2024, the Court of Justice of the European Union confirmed that agreements concluded between the European Union and Morocco cannot be applied to Western Sahara without the consent of the Sahrawi people. They also noted that the same court ruled that tomatoes and melons grown in the territory must be identified as originating from Western Sahara, rather than Morocco.
According to the petition organizers, the issue also concerns European consumers’ right to accurate and transparent information. They contend that marketing Sahrawi products as Moroccan in origin obscures the legal reality of the territory and deprives consumers of knowledge about the true source of the goods they purchase.
The signatories demand that the company immediately correct all its promotional and commercial materials, clearly identify Western Sahara as the origin of the products concerned, publish a list of its activities and partners operating in the occupied territory, and explain how it intends to respect the principle of the free and genuine consent of the Sahrawi people regarding the exploitation of natural resources.
Should the company fail to provide a public response, the organizations announced their intention to bring the matter before the relevant institutions, European regulatory authorities, as well as solidarity networks and consumer rights organizations.
The organizers of the campaign emphasize that their message is clear: European court rulings must be implemented; the resources of Western Sahara cannot be exploited without the consent of their legitimate owner, the Sahrawi people; and no company should be allowed to benefit from deliberate ambiguity regarding the legal status of the territory.
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