Report warns the EU can no longer ignore Morocco-Algeria tensions

The European Union is “caught in an unsustainable balancing act” as it attempts to maintain bilateral ties with both Morocco and Algeria as reported by Yabiladi on June 25th. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were severed in 2021 as a result of the ongoing Western Sahara dispute, diplomatic sparring, and military investment. 

Morocco’s recent progress with western countries and the United Nations to secure sovereignty rights over Western Sahara is one cause for worsening tensions, along with a number of visa restrictions and work permit complications on each country’s respective citizens. A report published on Monday by the journal, International Politics and Society (IPS), states that now is the time for the European Union to mediate more effectively.

“For too long, the EU has treated the Algeria-Morocco dispute as a manageable issue. For too long it has assumed that military escalation was unlikely,” writes Emmanuel-Cohen Hadria, Executive Board member of Diplomeds, a cross-Mediterranean policy group. He writes how “the violent escalation of the Israel-Palestine conflict 2023 should serve as a stark warning against such complacency.” 

He argues the solution to Algeria-Morocco tensions lies in adopting a more proactive stance on conflict resolution between Rabat and Algiers. “If the EU truly aspires to be a credible security provider, it must prioritise conflict resolution.” 

Hadria urges Brussels to go beyond rhetoric and support “track II” diplomacy initiatives “involving Moroccan and Algerian civil society, academia, and business sectors.” Such an initiative involves informal workshops and meetings between non-state actors that aims to build mutual trust, gradually paving the way for more official talks. 

The paper concludes that the “question is no longer whether Europe can afford to engage – it’s whether it can afford not to try. Starting with low-key track II diplomacy is the way ahead.”

Yabiladi.com, International Politics and Society, Maghrebi.org, Crisis Group