The European Parliament (EP) has adopted different resolutions related directly or indirectly with the situation on Western Sahara.
In 2010 the EP expressed its concerns on the obstacles to an effective enjoyment of human rights by Saharawi people while proposing the setting-up of a human rights monitoring mechanism in Western Sahara. Moreover, it stressed on the lack of benefits for Western Sahara from the exploitation of its natural resources (EP resolution 2010).
In 2013 the EP focused its attention on Western Sahara situation in two different occasions:
- European Parliament resolution of 7 February 2013 on the 22nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (specific references may be found at para. 21): the EU Parliament calls for the protection of the fundamental rights of the people of Western Sahara, including freedom of association, freedom of expression and the right to demonstrate and demands the release of all Sahrawi political prisoners;
- European Parliament resolution on the situation of human rights in the Sahel region (specific references may be found at pp. 1-4 and para. 97-112): the EU Parliament looks at the regional consequences and implications with a resolution on the human rights situation in the Sahel. Through this text, it calls for a solution that allows the self-determination of Western Sahara while urges the High Representative and the EU Special Representative for Human Rights and for Sahel to offer the Moroccan authorities and the Polisario administration human rights training programmes in Western Sahara and in Tindouf (the procedure and the opinions of the EP’s commissions may be consulted here).
The 2013 EP resolution was adopted taking into account the Report on the situation of human rights in the Sahel of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (Rapporteur Mr. C. Tannock): Tannock Report. Specific references may be found at pp. 4-5, 8-9, 36, 42 and para. 100-117.