Rabat – Dubravka Šuica, Commissioner for the Mediterranean and Demography, renewed the importance of EU-Morocco cooperation, noting that both sides share a common goal.
“We share a unique relationship and a common goal to deepen our partnership,” she wrote on X on Tuesday, signaling an upcoming visit to Morocco.
The European official made her remarks after a phone call with Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita, describing Morocco as a key and reliable partner for the EU.
The European Union has been viewing the North African country as a strategic partner across different sectors. Officials from the EU and the bloc’s member states, particularly Spain and France, have been consistently stressing the importance of partnership with Rabat in key areas such as migration management, trade, and regional security.
Morocco is the EU’s 18 biggest partner.
In 2024, total trade in goods between the two parties reached over €60.6 billion, with EU imports from Morocco amounting to €25.3 billion.
The imports were led by transport equipment, machinery, and appliances, along with vegetable products and textiles.
EU’s exports to Morocco, meanwhile, amounted to €35.3 billion, led by machinery and appliances.
The Morocco-EU ties faced recent challenges, notably following a controversial ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ), which annulled the fisheries and agriculture agreement between the two parties.
In October last year, the court ruled that the European Commission “violated the right of self-determination of Western Sahara’s population” by concluding trade agreements with Morocco that included products from “the disputed territory.”
Morocco responded to the court’s ruling, saying that it contained legal errors and suspicious mistakes. The ministry further argued that this indicates a “complete misunderstanding of the realities of the case, if not a blatant political bias.”
Brussels also renewed its commitment to its partnership with Morocco, adding that it seeks to uphold its long-standing, strategic, and mutually beneficial relationship with Rabat.
“The EU reiterates the high value it attaches to its strategic partnership with Morocco, which is long-standing, wide-ranging, and deep,” the statement said.
In response to European officials’ remarks on the importance of Morocco as a strategic ally, Bourita previously called on the EU to take action and not just words, to safeguard the partnership with Rabat.
“Morocco is waiting for the European Union to clarify how it intends to address the provocations and legal and economic pressures that Morocco is currently facing,” Bourita said in November last year.
The country is expecting the EU to propose “meaningful suggestions and solutions that reflect its commitment to this partnership,” he added.
