Spain's Far-Right Vox Demands Suspension of Friendship Treaty With Morocco
Vox's national executive committee demanded, on August 31, 2026, the suspension of the 1991 Spain-Morocco friendship treaty and the recall of ambassadors, amid a migration crisis in Ceuta.
The national executive committee of Spain's far-right Vox party demanded, at a meeting held on Monday, August 31, 2026, the suspension of the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighborliness and Cooperation signed between Spain and Morocco in 1991, along with summoning Morocco's ambassador in Madrid and recalling Spain's ambassador from Rabat. The escalation comes amid the irregular migration crisis in the city of Ceuta, after more than 70,000 people swam to its shores on July 30, 2026.
Vox leader accuses Spanish PM of "betrayal"
Party leader Santiago Abascal linked the crisis to what he called a "betrayal" by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, accusing him of acting as a "puppet" in Rabat's hands and of turning a blind eye to the crisis despite prior knowledge of it, in remarks made at his party's political season opening event. In response, Sánchez denied, in an interview with Cadena Ser radio, placing responsibility for the crisis on Morocco.
Parallel demands to suspend the EU preferential agreement
Vox's push goes beyond suspending the 1991 treaty: the party is also seeking support from the Popular Party (PP) to suspend Morocco's preferential trade agreement with the European Union. On August 13, 2026, the party had already filed two initiatives in the Spanish parliament: one demanding Morocco "bear the costs" of the military deployment and security and health measures linked to the crisis, and another calling for the health minister to appear before parliament over what it described as the "health risk" posed by the arrivals.
Why this matters
The initiative comes at a sensitive moment for relations between Rabat and Madrid, which saw renewed tension this summer despite the diplomatic rapprochement under way since 2022. Although Vox's initiative, as an opposition party without a parliamentary majority, needs support from other parties to become a binding official decision, it reflects mounting political pressure from the far right on the Sánchez government over migration and relations with Morocco, against a backdrop already marked by Spain's official rejection of Morocco's claims over Ceuta and Melilla, ahead of Morocco's legislative elections set for September 23, 2026.