Morocco–European Union relations

Fisheries agreements (the latest being the 2006 EU–Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement, FPA) have been periodically signed between Morocco and the EU since the 1980s, allowing European vessels (especially Spanish and Portuguese) to fish in Moroccan waters in exchange for a monetary contribution.

Since 2000 Morocco and the EU have signed many bilateral agreements. Various agreements of free trade that Morocco ratified with its principal economic partners like the Euro-Mediterranean free trade area agreement. The two sides recently announced plans to extend their Free Trade Agreement to cover not only goods, but also agriculture and services, giving Morocco almost the same deal with Europe as member states have with each other. Those agreements are parts of the Euro-Mediterranean free trade area signed in Barcelona, Spain in 1995.

Morocco and the EU have also signed an open skies agreement. The agreement is Europe's first ever outside its borders. It came into force in summer 2006.

In 2017, Federica Mogherini, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, stirred controversy and diplomatic confusion over her statement that the trade agreements between Morocco and the EU would not be affected by the 2016 ruling by the European Court of Justice on the scope of trade with Morocco. This ruling confirmed that bilateral trade deals, such as the EU–Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement, covers only agricultural produce and fishing products originating within the internationally recognised borders of Morocco, thus explicitly excluding any product sourced from Western Sahara or its territorial waters. The international community, including the EU, unanimously rejects Morocco's territorial claim to Western Sahara.[5][6][7][8]

In 1987, Morocco applied to join the European Communities (the precursor to the European Union). The application was rejected on the grounds that Morocco was not considered to be a "European country" and hence could not join. This geographic membership criterion has been part of the EU's and its predecessors' treaties since the Treaty of Rome (Article 237 of the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community) and was later also included among the Copenhagen criteria. The rejection was expected as the King had sent feelers two years prior and received such a response.[9]

On 19 January 2023, the European Parliament condemned Morocco for the first time in 25 years, as it called on the country to respect media freedom and to release all political prisoners and jailed journalists, notably the case of Omar Radi.[10][11][12][13][14] On 23 January, the Moroccan Parliament voted to review ties between the European Parliament calling it “an unacceptable attack against the sovereignty, dignity and independence of judicial institutions in the kingdom.”[15][16][17][18]

Under the four financial protocols of the 1976 Cooperation Agreement[22] signed between the European Community (predecessor of the EU) and Morocco, Morocco received a total of €1091 million, including €574 million from the Community budget and of €518 million in the form of loans from EIB's own resources. The protocols gave sectoral priority to rural development (46%). Other sectors of activity were, in order of importance: economic infrastructure (17%), the social sector (15.6%), the private sector (10%), vocational training (10%) and civil society (0.4%).

The Meda programme (adopted in July 1996) is the EU's principal financial instrument for the implementation of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. The budgetary resources allocated under Meda were €3.4 billion for 1995–1999 and €5.4 billion for 2000–2006. Morocco has become the principal beneficiary of the Meda programme, with commitments totalling €1.472 million for 1995–2006, of which €660 million under Meda I (1995–1999) and €812 million under Meda II (2000–2006).[23]

Meda cooperation touched all socio-economic spheres in Morocco. Several structural adjustment programmes were set up in essential sectors such as finance, taxation, water, transport, health, education, the civil service, plus twinnings and exchanges in services such as customs, the environment, youth, transport and justice. Investment programmes were implemented to support enterprise development, vocational training in the tourism, textile, and information and communication technology sectors, the development of the national road transport such as the Mediterranean "rocade" and the rural network, integrated rural infrastructure development, and water and sanitation programmes in rural areas (PAGER), measures to deal with unhealthy habitats to get rid of slums and improve access to social facilities. Meda funds were also channelled to migration, with the aim of fostering a better management of migratory flows. Financial cooperation also concerned environmental protection and the promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

In the period 1996–2006 Morocco received financing totalling approximately €15 million under horizontal EU budget lines, in particular Meda democracy, the environment, LIFE, the ECIP, the fight against AIDS, NGO cofinancing, and the fight against drugs, plus €10 million under the budget lines for the 5th and 6th Framework Research, Technology and Development Programmes, in which more than 160 Moroccan teams participated.

Illegal immigration and terrorism have already replaced issues on the agenda that were important before, such as trade (i.e. agriculture and fishing) and drug trafficking. Starting in 2000, Moroccan and EU authorities have been keen to work together more closer with intelligence sharing and border control cooperation.

Human rights was an issue that curved Morocco–EU relationships for decades. Now, many European officials have lauded the efforts Morocco has made in the human rights field.

Another hot issue concerns territorial disputes. In July 2002, there was a skirmish between Spain and Morocco during the Perejil incident. Though tensions have eased since the coming of the Spanish Socialist party to power, the two Spanish exclaves of Ceuta and Melilla are still an obstacle between the two neighbouring countries. In October 2006 a diplomatic controversy was sparked between Morocco and Spain when Morocco had denied entry from Ceuta of a Spanish aid package consisting of 150 patrol vehicles to fight illegal immigration. This was later resolved by delivering the goods 50 km off Tangier's coast.[26]

The Western Sahara conflict has always been on the agenda. Morocco has long been seeking a formal European recognition of its claimed rights over the disputed territory.

On 17 May 2021, an incident occurred between Morocco and Spain, in which massive crossing of people took place along the beaches of the border between both countries in the direction of Ceuta and Melilla in Spain.[27] It originated due to a deterioration in diplomatic relations between the Moroccan monarchy and the Government of Spain, after the latter admitted the transfer of the main representative of the Saharawi independence movement Polisario Front to a Spanish hospital in La Rioja, in April 2021.[28][29] On 24 June 2022, an incident occurred which involved deaths of 23 migrants after an illegal migration attempt towards Melilla.[30][31][32]