Rabat – On January 23, Morocco’s parliament held a session dedicated to discussing and responding to the recent European Parliament resolution against the country, at the end of which Moroccan MPs called unanimously for re-evaluating the parliamentary ties between Brussels and Rabat.

The EU resolution, which condemned Morocco for alleged abuses against human rights and freedom of speech, was received negatively by various Moroccan institutions who branded it as an attempt to unjustly interfere in the country’s affairs.

Since the start of 2023, Morocco’s relations with some parties in Europe and the EU’s lawmaking body has been marked with tensions: from the European Parliament resolution, to continuing tensions with France over the ongoing visa crisis, its rapprochement with Algeria and Tunisia, and Western Sahara dispute.

Regardless, one sentiment has persisted throughout the ordeal, as Moroccan politicians during the parliament sessions stressed the importance of maintaining relations with EU parties that did not approve of the hostile resolution.

More specifically, the Party of Authenticity and Modernity’s representative Ahmed Touizi thanked Spain’s socialists for not voting on the resolution. This, he argued, showed some EU countries’ commitment to further developing their friendly relations with Morocco.

Even as the hostile resolution widened a perceived rift between Morocco and the EU, both parties have appeared to be willing to continue their diplomatic relations.

The EU has particularly seemed poised to remain a key Moroccan partner in trade and cooperation, despite the North African country’s diversification of its international partnerships.

New cooperation projects

Towards the end of January, as tensions over the European Parliament resolution were still high, Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita held a phone call with European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Policy, Oliver Varhelyi.

The ministry described the call as “productive and constructive,” and announced that Varhelyi would be visiting the North African country in late February.

The call and the announcement of the visit’s timing were hard to miss, as they constituted a strong indication that the country was determined to develop its ties with the EU despite the tensions.

Furthermore, the visit itself – coming at the start of March instead of the originally announced date – saw the signing of several cooperation agreements in the fields of social protection, agriculture, financial inclusion, public administration reform, and migration.

These programs, covering sectors that are considered priorities for both Morocco and the EU, came in the tune of €500 million (MAD 5.5 billion). This is in addition to the expected adoption of new programs under the 2022 annual action plan for Morocco worth over €100 million.

The increased cooperation could signal the country’s continuing relations with the European body despite lingering hostilities in some EU quarters. Further evidence of the two parties’ desire to maintain their relationship is the announcement of more visits to Morocco by EU officials, including one by a large Austrian delegation to Morocco on March 28.

The North African country could also be drawing a line between its cooperation with the EU, and how it plans to deal with the European countries and parties that it sees as hostile or uncooperative, namely France.

Undermining attempts

From the Moroccan point of view, the increased cooperation and new programs also send a message to the parties that are alleged to be behind the hostility, that any attempts to undermine the relations between the country and the EU are bound to fail.

Following the European Parliament resolution, a lot of fingers pointed to France and Algeria as being behind the aggressive tone, seeing as the two countries were still embroiled in tensions with Rabat.

Algeria had cut ties with its neighbor to the west in 2021, while France was still half-heartedly trying to mend ties that were threatened by the ongoing visa crisis and its vague position on Western Sahara.

In contrast, Morocco had been strengthening its ties with various European countries, most notably with Spain, who voiced their support for the country’s Autonomy Plan for Western Sahara.

The attempts to push the resolution were seen as a response to Morocco’s approach in diversifying its relations and partnerships, as the country started seeking new partnerships away from France and francophone partners.

But Morocco’s moves with the EU seem to signal that the two will remain close partners despite the country’s alignment with other strategic partners, especially considering the two’s geographic proximity.

During the Moroccan parliament session, and through condemnations from other Moroccan institutions, many observers pointed to Algeria as well, accusing it of using its oil and gas reserves as leverage to an energy-starved Europe to try and undermine Morocco’s relations with the EU.

This was evidenced, in some observers’ eyes, by the European Parliament’s disregard for the human rights situation in Algeria itself, and its singling out of Morocco.

Regardless, Morocco seems adamant to continue developing its ties with the EU even against the backdrop of tensions, through the increased cooperation programs and the planned visits between officials.