Morocco relies on Spain to defend sovereignty in Western Sahara against French opposition

Morocco is relying on Spain’s presidency of the European Union at the beginning of July to help advance recognition of its rights in Western Sahara. Rabat now views France as yesterday’s friend, and believes that it will be a major obstacle for Morocco in the EU.

Relations between Morocco and the EU are going through a difficult period due to an issue between the European Parliament and its Moroccan counterpart over corruption and human rights violations. The European Parliament has denounced the violations of human rights in Morocco and the alleged involvement of its intelligence agents in paying members of the parliament to thwart resolutions that contradict Rabat’s interests. The Belgian police have arrested some MEPs and issued arrest warrants against Moroccan officials.

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The word in Moroccan press and diplomatic circles in Brussels is that there are hopes that the Spanish presidency of the EU in the second half of this year will help to soften relations between Rabat and Brussels, and to defend Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara.

European diplomatic circles assert that Spain can have an active role in defending the autonomy proposal from Morocco to resolve the dispute over the territory which is rejected by the Polisario Front and states like France. The current Spanish government views autonomy as the ideal solution to resolve the decades-long conflict. Spain was a colonial power in Western Sahara until the mid-seventies.

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French President Emmanuel Macron said in Gabon two days ago that, “France is a neutral country in the conflict.” In doing so, he has thus preserved his country’s interests in the Maghreb and sits balanced between the two largest countries in the region, Morocco and Algeria.

Nevertheless, Macron’s statement is regarded as crucial to ending Moroccan pressure on Paris to change its position in favour of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. The French position may affect other European countries, and in its defence of the Moroccan position Spain will face opposition from both the European Parliament and the European Commission, which the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, made clear in Morocco on 6 January. Europe, he asserted, stands with the UN on the dispute.

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