In a development described by observers as a geopolitical watershed, the European Union has begun using Morocco’s complete territorial map — incorporating the southern provinces — in its official documents, reflecting the bloc’s evolving and increasingly unified position on the Western Sahara question. The map appeared on page 42 of the EU’s recent annual investment report, displaying Morocco without the dividing line that had previously separated the southern territories from the rest of the country in European cartographic conventions. The shift is not merely symbolic: it represents a tangible expression of the political position now shared by all 27 EU member states. That position was formalized at the 15th EU-Morocco Association Council held in Brussels on January 29, 2026, where the bloc adopted — for the first time — a unanimous common stance on the Sahara. Analysts tracking the issue note that the EU’s adoption of this position — and its translation into official cartographic practice — marks a significant hardening of European support for Morocco’s territorial stance, consolidating a diplomatic momentum that Rabat has been building steadily across European capitals over recent years.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 04, 2026 18:38 UTC