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European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR)
  • News article
  • 20 December 2019
  • Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations
  • 4 min read

The EU is boosting its support to Morocco with new programmes worth €389 million

The European Commission is today adopting new cooperation programmes worth €389 million in support of the Kingdom of Morocco, in order to support reforms, inclusive development and border management and work towards developing a ‘Euro-Moroccan...

The European Commission is today adopting new cooperation programmes worth €389 million in support of the Kingdom of Morocco, in order to support reforms, inclusive development and border management and work towards developing a ‘Euro-Moroccan partnership for shared prosperity'.

The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell, stated that: ‘Morocco has long been an essential partner of the European Union (EU), with which we share borders and aspirations. Under the leadership of His Majesty, King Mohammed VI, Morocco has achieved significant steps towards modernisation and has made closer ties with Europe a strategic choice. Faced with shared challenges, the time has come to give new impetus to our relationship through deeper and more diversified cooperation, including towards Africa, in order to link our futures and bring our peoples closer together.

The Member of the European Commission in charge of Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, stated that: ‘Morocco plays a crucial role as a partner of the European Union. Together, we will contribute to the sustainable and inclusive growth of Morocco, we will fight smuggler networks which endanger the lives of vulnerable people and we will improve the protection of migrant victims from these criminal networks. Morocco can count on the EU, our partnership will continue uninterrupted during my term of office.'

As part of this strengthened cooperation, the new programmes include:

  • €289 million financed from the bilateral cooperation envelope to support Morocco's reforms and inclusive development.
  • the signing of a financing agreement with Morocco for a budget support programme of €101.7 million supporting border management. The programme was adopted last week as part of the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa.

Background

The Single Support Framework between the EU and Morocco has just been extended to 2019 and 2020

Morocco and the European Union have established a strong and dynamic partnership which has been steadily deepening since the year 2000 when the EU-Morocco Association Agreement entered into force. The special nature of the relationship between these two partners was recognised when Morocco was granted ‘advanced status' in 2008. The Action Plan implementing the advanced status (2013-2018) was signed in December 2013 and provided specific guidelines for cooperation between the EU and Morocco. The Joint political declaration was adopted at the last EU-Morocco Association Council in June 2019. The new strategic priorities of the EU-Morocco partnership are expected to be defined in 2020.

Following comprehensive consultations with the government, civil society and various donors, and taking into account the government's reform priorities and the principles of aid effectiveness, a consensus was reached regarding three priority intervention sectors to be financed through the 2014-2020 bilateral envelope with an indicative amount of between EUR 1.3 billion and EUR 1.6 billion. The priorities cover: i) Equitable access to basic services; ii) Support for democratic governance, the rule of law and mobility; iii) Employment and sustainable and inclusive growth.

Following the extension of the Single Support Framework, it was possible to adopt new programmes for cooperation between the EU and Morocco for a total of €289 million.

The EU is boosting its support for Morocco's inclusive development

The objectives of the programmes that have just been adopted under the bilateral envelope for a total of €289 million are: i) improved access for vulnerable categories of people (rural population, social vulnerability, migrants, etc.) to education and vocational training; ii) the health sector, improvement of care and access to medicines in a context of advanced regionalisation; iii) better performance by the public administration to improve transparency and the efficiency of public services provision; iv) strengthened support for human rights; v) institutional support for the Moroccan Parliament.

The EU is boosting its support to Morocco for border management

The new budget support programme of €101.7 million as part of the North Africa strand of the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa will support border management and the fight against human trafficking. The programme will contribute to enhancing the management of land and sea borders, and also airports, by helping Morocco to continue modernising the means available to it, including by using new technologies and exchanging best practices with the EU agencies, Frontex and Europol. Respect for human rights and protection of vulnerable migrants will be at the heart of the programme, which includes training relating to these aspects. Given the high number of young people and unaccompanied minors from Morocco, the programme will put particular emphasis on raising the awareness of young people and their families concerning the perils of illegal migration. The analysis and collection of data on migration as part of the programme will contribute to providing the basis for a deeper partnership and dialogue with Morocco.

For more information

EU-Morocco Association Agreement

EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa

Factsheet – EU cooperation on migration with Morocco

Details