Rabat – Unsurprisingly, the Spanish Popular Party (PP) has again displayed hostility towards Morocco. The conservative party is reportedly maneuvering against the Morocco-EU agreements within the European Parliament.
The party, which is notoriously slanderous and anti-Moroccan, is now attempting to exclude Morocco’s southern provinces in Western Sahara from the EU-Morocco trade agreements.
Sources from the PP confirmed the news to Spanish news outlet El Independiente. The sources said the PP request is for Western Sahara to be completely excluded from the trade agreement discussions between the EU and Morocco.
This reflects PP’s general stance, distancing the party from Spain’s position that endorses the Moroccan Autonomy Plan as the most serious and credible political solution to end the dispute.
Recurring hostility against Morocco
PP’s request aligns with the party’s recurring hostility towards Morocco, which has been frequently dismantled by the Spanish government, which adamantly defends the strong and productive bilateral ties between Rabat and Madrid.
Last year, the Spanish party attributed responsibility to Morocco in the Pegasus spyware case without evidence.
Spain strongly criticized the party in December of the same year, marking its consistent rejection of allegations against its North African neighbor.
The party has made claims and accused Morocco without substantial proof. Observers describe similar remarks as a hoax and slander orchestrated by the extreme right, which has accused Morocco of alleged involvement in using Pegasus spyware against Spanish officials during the 2021 diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
Beyond the Pegasus case, PP has also been angered by Spain’s strengthened economic ties with its southern neighbor.
In May this year, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’ political party PSOE strongly condemned PP for attempting to “break relations” between Morocco and Spain.
This comes amid criticism from PP over the desalination plant project in Casablanca.
Rafael Robles, PSOE spokesperson, responded to PP’s claims, stressing that the Spanish cabinet is financing public infrastructure built by Spanish companies that will provide jobs for Spaniards.”
He also accused PP’s Manuel Angel Quevedo of being “either uninformed or deliberately lying” to “deceive Melilla’s citizens about the nature of the financing arrangement.”
Rabat’s EU alliances targeted
EU-Morocco agreements have been subject to hostility from many, including Polisario’s advocates.
In October, Polisario, Algeria, and pro-Polisario advocates celebrated a hostile decision from the European Court of Justice, which ruled that the EU Commission “violated the right of self-determination of Western Sahara’s population” by concluding trade agreements with Morocco that included products from the country’s southern provinces.
“The consent of the people of Western Sahara to the implementation is a condition for the validity of the decisions by which the (EU) Council approved those agreements on behalf of the European Union,” the court said.
It also suggested that products such as tomatoes and melons from the region should be labeled to indicate their origin.
The statement aligns with the claims of the separatist Polisario Front and Algeria, the group’s main sponsor in its decades-long challenge against Morocco’s territorial integrity.
Morocco responded to the ECJ’s ruling, arguing that the court’s ruling contains legal errors and suspicious mistakes.
“Morocco did not participate in any phase of this procedure, and, therefore, does not consider itself concerned by the decision,” the Moroccan Foreign Affairs Ministry said.
Many have also defended EU-Morocco agreements, stressing Rabat’s importance as a strong ally at all levels.
In response to the ruling, the EU reiterated its commitment to maintaining its strategic partnership with Morocco and emphasized the multifaceted nature of their cooperation.
Morocco, in response, has called for actions, not words, to safeguard the EU-Morocco partnership, confirming its steadfast position that no agreement could be renewed if it does not align with its position and its territorial integrity.