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Rabat – Croatia is set to join the EU’s Open Skies Agreement with Morocco after an amendment approved by the European Parliament last week.
The vote, held on July 8, recorded 16 votes against and 20 abstentions. A total of 625 members backed the protocol, however.
The amendment extends the agreement’s liberalized market-access rules to Croatia, allowing Moroccan and EU airlines to operate routes between Croatian and Moroccan airports without discrimination.
The approval for Croatia’s inclusion concludes a legal process that began when Zagreb joined the EU on July 1, 2013.
Under the terms of accession, Croatia is required to join existing agreements concluded by EU member states with third countries, including the Euro-Mediterranean Aviation Agreement with Morocco.
The agreement was the first air transport deal the EU signed with an external or non-EU partner. Morocco and the EU signed the landmark aviation agreement on December 12, 2006, allowing airlines from the North African kingdom and any EU member state to operate direct flights between airports across the EU and Morocco.
It removes all restrictions on capacity and frequency for scheduled and charter flights and replaces the bilateral air services agreements that Morocco previously had with individual EU countries.
Croatia’s inclusion now requires a final procedural step by the Council of the EU before the decision is formally concluded.
The EU remains the main market driving Morocco’s international air travel. The latest data from the Moroccan airport authority ONDA said the country’s airports handled a total of 18.8 million passengers between January and June 2026. The number represents an 8.83% increase compared with the same period last year.
The authority acknowledged the EU remained the largest contributor to the growth of Morocco’s international air traffic, accounting for more than 14 million passengers during the first half of the year – up 9% year-on-year.
