Rabat - The Council for the European Union adopted on May 29, the negotiating mandate for the amendment of agricultural protocols between Morocco and the EU.
Rabat – The Council for the European Union adopted on May 29, the negotiating mandate for the amendment of agricultural protocols between Morocco and the EU.
This announcement of the mandate brings the amendment of the agricultural protocols one step closer to fruition.
According to a member of the European External Action Service (EEAS), “the path is open for negotiations” and the only thing left to do is to determine the date and place of the first negotiating session.
This is an important update as previously negotiations between Morocco and the EU on the agricultural agreement had stalled over ongoing disagreements.
Specifically, the EU Court of Justice had ruled in December 2016 that any agreement stipulating closer ties or increased trade between Morocco and the EU could not include the disputed Sahara region.
The goal of the new negotiating sessions will be for both parties to benefit from an agreement between Morocco and the EU on preferential tariffs on good produced in the Sahara.
The success of these agreements will depend on the ability of Morocco and the EU to reach an agreement that abides by the Court of Justice ruling and is also satisfactory to Morocco.
Economic relationships between the European Union and Morocco are historically strong. The EU increasingly views Morocco as a bridge to Africa and as an important economic outlet. The relationship is reciprocal as and Europe is also a major outlet for Morocco.
