The European Parliament has endorsed an updated protocol to the Euro-Mediterranean aviation agreement between the European Union (EU) and Morocco, explicitly excluding Western Sahara from its scope. This decision aligns with the rulings of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), which has consistently maintained that Western Sahara is a territory separate and distinct from the Kingdom of Morocco.
On July 8th, eurodeputies approved the revised accord, which extends its application to Croatia—a member of the EU since July 1, 2013—without altering its core provisions. By formally omitting Western Sahara, the EU underscores its non-recognition of any Moroccan authority or sovereignty over the region, including its airspace.
The Sahrawi Working Group on Natural Resources and Legal Affairs hailed the European Parliament’s vote as a significant legal and political milestone. In a statement, the group described the exclusion of Western Sahara from the updated air agreement as an unmistakable affirmation of Sahrawi sovereignty.
“By strictly limiting the agreement to Morocco’s internationally recognized borders, the European Parliament has reiterated that Western Sahara remains a distinct territory over which Rabat exercises no administrative or sovereign authority,” stated Oubi Bouchraya Bachir, the group’s ambassador and president.
The Working Group emphasized that this legislative measure strengthens the legal boundary separating Western Sahara from Morocco, reinforcing the EU’s stance on the region’s status.
Meanwhile, the International Observatory for Monitoring Western Sahara’s Natural Resources (Western Sahara Resource Watch) welcomed the European Parliament’s decision. In a release, the Observatory clarified that while the protocol is a technical update to accommodate Croatia’s EU membership, it does not alter the territorial scope of the aviation accord.
The Observatory reiterated the CJEU’s 2018 ruling that EU-Morocco agreements cannot extend beyond Morocco’s internationally recognized borders. It also noted that the European Commission has repeatedly confirmed this interpretation, advising EU carriers that the aviation agreement does not cover flights to or from Western Sahara.
