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Rabat – Dutch member of the European Parliament Malik Azmani has called on the European Union (EU) to support Morocco’s “serious and credible” Autonomy Plan to end the dispute over Western Sahara.
In an opinion piece published by EW, the prominent Dutch politician recalled the chorus of countries that publicly expressed support for Morocco’s initiative – including the Netherlands, Spain, and Germany.
“It’s a credible plan. After nearly 50 years of muddling along, it’s definitely time to take steps forward,” the MEP said.
Morocco’s Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Bourita said last week that nearly 10 other European states expressed support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan.
Morocco submitted the autonomy initiative to the Security Council in 2007. Since then, the international community has described the Moroccan proposal as a “serious and credible” basis to end the dispute over Western Sahara.
Azmani also recalled the importance of cooperation between Morocco and the EU, suggesting that strengthening the partnership between the two parties has become imperative for regional peace.
“Morocco is a stable country in a very unstable region,” the Dutch politician said, recalling the crisis in surrounding areas including Algeria and the Sahel.
“To the east is Algeria, an increasingly unpredictable and authoritarian state, while to the south of Morocco jihadism is spreading like an oil slick of terror across the Sahel,” the MEP said, noting the importance of strengthening ties with “stable Morocco.”
Commending Rabat’s efforts in the field of renewable energy, the politician emphasized that the EU and Morocco can cooperate in different sectors, particularly sustainable energy, climate, and water management, in addition to migration, trade, and security.
Morocco and the EU already cooperate in the aforementioned fields, particularly with efforts to halt irregular migration and human trafficking.
Data from the EU identifies Morocco as the bloc’s 20th biggest trade partner, representing 1% of the EU’s total trade in goods with the world in 2020.
“Morocco is the EU’s biggest trade partner among the Southern Neighborhood countries, with 25% of total EU trade in goods with the region,” the European Commission says.
“Morocco has enormous potential in the generation of clean solar energy and can therefore provide us with significant amounts of sustainable energy,” Azmani added, noting that the Russia-Ukraine conflict is a lesson for the EU to consider diversifying energy supplies to reduce its dependence on few suppliers.
The EU parliament member also emphasized the importance of facilitating and promoting cooperation between Israel and Morocco, calling on the EU to “gear up” with the North African country on a diplomatic level.
Morocco re-established relations with Israel in December 2020 as part of the US-brokered Abraham Accords.
“The EU should facilitate and promote further cooperation between these two countries so that normalization of relations with Israel offers an attractive prospect for other Arab countries,” he said.
The MEP concluded his op-ed by urging the EU to take advantage of the timing marked by a positive and constructive “attitude” to achieve more cooperation.
He also announced that he will carry out a working visit to Morocco soon to “explore more possibilities for more intensive cooperation.”
