EU Proposes New Mediterranean Partnership Agenda, Emphasizing Morocco Ties

The development of this new agenda is part of the intention to work together and in partnership in order to transform common challenges into opportunities, in the collective interest of the EU and its southern neighbors. This agenda includes an economic and investment plan aimed at revitalizing long-term socio-economic recovery in the southern neighborhood. Furthermore, Europe is committed to a privileged partnership with Morocco and envisages future cooperation in important sectors in bilateral relations.

In addition, the European Commission has emphasized the strategic nature of its cooperation with Morocco in several areas. In this sense, the European Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy, Oliver Varhelyi, indicated during a press conference at the PAM that "we have defined specific proposals and programs for each partner country. What we propose for Morocco, for example, is different from what is proposed for the other countries".

Thus, the European Commission wants to support the resilience of the Moroccan economy, especially in the face of this health crisis, by participating in the kingdom’s economic recovery plan and co-financing investments financed under the Strategic Investment Fund established by King Mohammed VI and will take into account several sectors.

It should be noted that the EU’s support to Morocco through the neighborhood instrument is 1.4 billion euros for the period from 2014 to 2020. In 2020, Morocco has benefited from an additional 30 million euros. In addition, Morocco benefits from the EU’s thematic programs and instruments, such as the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights and the program for civil society organizations in the framework of development cooperation. This support amounts to 14.5 million euros from 2014 to date.