Moroccan Sahara: The preeminence and relevance of the autonomy plan highlighted in Verona

Italian and Moroccan officials and academics highlighted in Verona the relevance of Rabat’s autonomy plan for the Moroccan Sahara, presented as a political framework that can support regional stability in a Sahel-Saharan environment marked by security challenges.

The preeminence of Morocco’s autonomy plan for the settlement of the dispute over the Moroccan Sahara was highlighted on Saturday in Verona, northern Italy, during a meeting bringing together Italian and Moroccan experts, academics and officials.

Organised under the theme “Autonomy and regionalised governance: Cross perspectives on the Italian experience and the Moroccan perspective”, this meeting emphasised the institutional and regional dimensions of the Moroccan initiative, in a context marked by persistent security challenges in the Sahel-Saharan region.

The participants felt that the autonomy plan presented by Morocco in 2007 constituted ” the only pragmatic framework ” capable of fostering a lasting political solution while consolidating regional stability. Several participants also drew parallels with certain Italian experiences of regional autonomy.

Italian Senator Luigi Spagnolli, representing the Trentino-Alto Adige region, recalled that UN Security Council Resolution 2797, adopted on October 31, 2025, enshrined the Moroccan autonomy initiative as the basis for the political process conducted under the auspices of the UN.

The Italian representative also referred to the preamble of the Moroccan Constitution, highlighting the Kingdom’s ” plural identity” and the diversity of its cultural and historical components. According to him, this plurality constitutes a factor of national cohesion.

For his part, Italian political scientist Marco Baratto argued that autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty offers “a sustainable political perspective,” linking institutional dynamics to investments made in the southern provinces. He compared the Moroccan plan to the Special Status granted to Sicily in 1946, presenting them as ” two models serving national unity and regional stability.”

This interpretation was extended by Professor of International Relations Yasmine El Hassnaoui, who argued that the autonomy plan reconciles “unity and diversity, sovereignty and self-governance.” The academic also emphasised the investments made in the southern provinces, particularly in infrastructure, renewable energy, transportation, and logistics.

The meeting brought together several Italian regional officials as well as members of the Moroccan community established in Italy.

المصدر: MyJoyOnline (GH)