PREVIEWDitching its earlier assertion that Western Sahara isn’t part of Morocco, the European Commission has signed a new deal with RabatThe European Commission has given its formal backing for Morocco’s controlled autonomy plan for Western Sahara, in a major shift of the bloc’s diplomatic stance. At a meeting between EU foreign ministers and Morocco’s foreign minister Nasser Bourita on 29 January, the two sides agreed a joint text which stated said that ‘genuine autonomy could be among the most feasible solutions’ for the territory. Kallas stated unequivocally that this was a ‘new EU position on the Western Sahara’, and the text was welcomed as a ‘fundamental step forward’ by the foreign ministry in Rabat. The European Commission has made no secret of its hopes for closer political and economic relations with Rabat (AC Vol 66 No 25, Polisario goes back to Luxembourg). It can expect a frosty reception to this policy shift from Algeria, Morocco’s neighbour and the main supporter of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic whose claims of sovereignty over Western Sahara will be further weakened by this development.

Source: The North Africa Journal February 01, 2026 22:15 UTC