Morocco and the European Union have successfully negotiatiated the amendment of the agricultural agreement between the two parties, giving preferential tariffs to the Southern Provinces
granted by the EU under the Association Agreement with Morocco.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Expatriates Nasser Bourita, who announced the conclusion of negotiations, said the two parties would sign the agreement shortly in Brussels.
However, he said the agreement would be provisionally implemented as soon as it is signed, pending the conclusion of internal processes.
The agreement provides the necessary clarifications, in accordance with the Kingdom’s national fundamentals, he said, adding that it was in line with a deal signed between the two parties in 2018.
“In general, the market access conditions that apply to products from the North will apply to products from the Moroccan Sahara,” the Minister said.
The agreement also introduces technical adjustments concerning consumer information about product origin, adding that agricultural products from the Southern regions will bear labeling indicating their regions of production.
Furthermore, the agreement reiterated EU’s position expressed in 2019 regarding Morocco’s serious and credible efforts towards the Moroccan Sahara.
Bourita added that the text also refers to the national positions subsequently adopted by several EU Member States, who have expressed their support for Morocco’s autonomy Initiative, in line with the dynamic driven by His Majesty King Mohammed VI.
“Of course, this is not a political agreement,” Bourita clarified. “It is a sectoral, commercial, and operational agreement. Nonetheless, it sends strong and clear signals.”
The Minister lauded the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, saying the Moroccan Sahara had become a zone of development, connectivity, and prosperity, emerging as a hub of stability and regional growth.”
He said major global and regional powers had expressed interest in economic activities in the Moroccan Sahara, and their willingness to support trade and investment in the region and to help transform it into a bridge between Europe and Africa, and between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.
He recalled the United States statement in which it encouraged businesses to invest in the Southern Provinces, among others.
Similarly, the Agreement will contribute to agricultural GDP and the creation and retention of jobs, particularly in the Moroccan Sahara region, the minister added.
“Naturally, this Agreement reinforces the long-standing and solid strategic partnership between Morocco and the EU,” Bourita reaffirmed, stressing that Morocco is a reliable and credible partner for the EU to conduct most of its trade in Africa and the Arab world.
The minister emphasized the importance of the commercial and agricultural sectors for the Kingdom’s economy, adding that Morocco’s and EU partnership also covered political, economic, social, and environment, as well as the sectors of migration and mobility, security, digital, and culture.
“Finally, at a time when the regional context is complex and crises are becoming structural, this incremental progress allows Morocco and the EU to approach their common future with serenity and to consider an ambitious and promising path,” Bourita said.
“We are currently in a position to deploy our full existing potential, be it to prepare for joint deadlines, to revitalize our political frameworks, such as the Association Council, or to lay the foundations for an even deeper strategic partnership that will guide our relations for years to come,” Bourita added.
GNA
Christian Akorlie