With or without agricultural and fishing agreements, the EU is Morocco’s first economic partner

Europe remains Morocco’s main trading partner with a share of 63.2% in total merchandise transactions in 2023, compared to 58.8% in 2022. This is what the daily indicates The Economist in its October 8 edition, citing the latest figures from the Foreign Exchange Office. “Trade with Europe amounts to 724.8 billion dirhams in 2023 compared to 685.8 billion dirhams in 2022, an increase of 5.7%,” lit-on.

After a decline in 2020 linked to the Covid-19 pandemic, trade has resumed growth and increased by 6% in 2023 compared to 2022 and by 42% compared to the pre-crisis level. The EU is both Morocco’s leading supplier and its leading customer (more than 60% of Moroccan exports). The Kingdom is also the EU’s leading partner in the Southern Mediterranean. By country, trade is carried out mainly with Spain (28.9%), France (22.5%), Italy (7.8%) and Germany (7.4%).

«In March 2024, the latest report from the European Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) reaffirmed the positive socio-economic impact of the agricultural agreement with Morocco and the full benefit of the population of the southern provinces of the provisions of this agreement», lit-on encore.

This report, which is part of the implementation of the agreement in the form of an exchange of letters, modifying protocols 1 and 4 of the Morocco-EU association agreement which entered into force on July 19, 2019 , commonly known as the Agricultural Agreement, came the day after the decision of the Advocate General at the Court of Justice of the European Union who rejected the Polisario’s allegations and approved the validity of the agricultural agreement between Rabat and Brussels.

Still according to this report, “in 2022, more than 203,000 tonnes of products originating from the southern provinces were exported to the EU compared to around 100,000 tonnes before the application of the agreement.

The value of exports from the southern provinces to the EU amounted to 590 million euros (6.4 billion dirhams). 82% of tomatoes and melons harvested in the southern provinces were exported to the European market (compared to 85.3% in 2021).

Concerning seafood products, around 60% are reserved for the European market, according to Moroccan estimates. Since 2019, large operators in the agriculture and fishing sectors have developed an export market for high value-added products.