European parliament updates eu-Morocco aviation deal excluding western Sahara
The European Parliament has endorsed a revised agreement on air services between the European Union (EU) and Morocco, explicitly excluding Western Sahara from its scope. This decision aligns with the European Court of Justice’s (ECJ) stance, which classifies Western Sahara as a separate and distinct territory from Morocco.
On July 8, lawmakers approved the updated protocol, which extends the EU-Morocco aviation accord to Croatia—an EU member since July 1, 2013—without altering its core terms. By adopting this exclusion, the EU reaffirms that it does not recognize Moroccan sovereignty or authority over Western Sahara, including its airspace.
The Saharawi Working Group on Natural Resources and Legal Affairs hailed the vote as a significant legal and political victory. In a statement, the group emphasized that the formal exclusion of Western Sahara from the updated air services agreement represents an unmistakable recognition of Sahrawi sovereignty.
“By strictly confining the agreement to Morocco’s internationally recognized borders, the European Parliament has reinforced the legal separation of Western Sahara,” stated Oubi Bouchraya Bachir, Chair of the Working Group. He added that Rabat exercises no administrative or sovereign mandate over the territory.
The Working Group, which advocates for the protection of national heritage and related legal matters, noted that this legislative measure strengthens the international legal boundary distinguishing Western Sahara from Morocco.
Similarly, the Western Sahara Resource Watch (WSRW) welcomed the Parliament’s decision, clarifying that while the protocol is a technical update to accommodate Croatia’s EU accession, it does not expand the territorial scope of the aviation accord.
The observatory reiterated the ECJ’s 2018 ruling, which stipulated that EU-Morocco agreements cannot apply outside Morocco’s internationally recognized borders. It also highlighted that the European Commission has consistently upheld this interpretation, notifying EU airlines that the aviation deal does not cover flights to or from Western Sahara.
