Spanish MPs urge Sanchez to reject EU-Morocco deal

Spanish MPs backing the Polisario Front are pressing Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government to reject the Morocco–EU agreement that includes the Sahara. Their position was outlined in a letter sent on Tuesday, September 30, to Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares.

«Morocco neither exercises sovereignty nor administrative authority over this territory. The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has made it clear that any agreement affecting Western Sahara’s natural resources must have the consent of the Sahrawi people, represented exclusively by the Polisario Front», the MPs wrote.

They added: «Ignoring this principle would not only be a flagrant violation of international law but also a deliberate dismissal of European court rulings and of the UN-recognized right to self-determination».

The signatories stressed that «as the administering power, Spain cannot and must not allow the exploitation of Sahrawi resources to sustain Morocco’s colonial occupation».

It should be recalled that in August 2020, the Spanish government stated in a written response to a Basque MP that «Spain considers itself detached from any international responsibility regarding the administration of Western Sahara since the letter of February 26, 1976, sent by Spain’s permanent representative to the UN to the Secretary-General».

The pro-Polisario support group was set up in August 2024 by MPs from Podemos, EH Bildu, Sumar, the Republican Left of Catalonia, and the People's Party. The PSOE and Vox, however, are not part of this group.