Strasbourg (European Parliament), 22 October 2025 (SPS) – Members of the “Peace for the Sahrawi People” group on Tuesday elected Austrian Socialist MEP Andreas Schieder as President of the group within the European Parliament. The solidarity group brings together parliamentarians from various European political groups who support the Sahrawi people’s right to freedom and self-determination.
This appointment reaffirms the growing commitment of European parliamentarians to continue supporting efforts aimed at achieving a just and lasting solution to the conflict in Western Sahara, in line with United Nations resolutions and the principles of international law.
Andreas Schieder, known for his long-standing advocacy for human rights and international solidarity, is expected to play a key role in revitalizing the group’s activities in the coming period by fostering dialogue within the European Parliament and highlighting the humanitarian and political situation in the Sahrawi occupied territories and the refugee camps.
In addition to Mr. Schieder’s election as president, members from the Left, Green, and Liberal political groups were also appointed to leadership roles within the group.
It is worth noting that the European Parliament had witnessed on Tuesday the official announcement of the establishment of the new friendship group “Peace for the Sahrawi People,” supported by a large number of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) representing different political parties.
The initiative was launched by several pro-Sahrawi MEPs who convened the group’s inaugural meeting, attended by parliamentarians, political group coordinators, and members of relevant parliamentary committees.
Representing the Sahrawi side were Mansour Omar, member of the National Secretariat and Frente POLISARIO Representative to Europe and the European Union, and Basiri Lebsir, Coordinator of the Sahrawi Representation in Europe.
In his remarks, Mansour Omar expressed deep appreciation for the efforts of the European parliamentarians in forming the group, emphasizing that this step comes at a critical juncture in the Sahrawi people’s struggle against colonialism.
He also called on the European Parliament and friends of the Sahrawi people to exert pressure on the European Commission to uphold the rulings of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), particularly the landmark judgment issued on 4 October 2024, which the Commission is actively working to violate by implementing a new, unlawful agreement with the occupying state of Morocco.
The “Peace for the Sahrawi People” group aims to promote an active and coordinated European policy that strives for a just, urgent, and lasting resolution to the question of Western Sahara. (SPS)
090/500/60 (SPS)
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