Morocco and the European Union
5716465
222483894
2008-06-29T16:15:08Z
SpellingBot
6773085
Morrocco → Morocco
{{bilateral|Euro-Moroccan|European Union|Morocco|filetype=svg}}
{{Politics of Morocco}}
The relationship between '''Morocco and the European Union''' was established some decades ago. However, the beginning of [[Mohammed VI|Moroccan King Mohammed VI]]'s reign marked a major shift toward more cooperation, comprehension and partnership.
==Membership application==
[[Morocco]] applied to join the [[European Union]] in 1987. The application was rejected by the [[European Council]] because it was not considered a European country and therefore not eligible to join. The [[Copenhagen criteria]] had not yet been agreed upon at that time.
In 2006 [[European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy|EU commissioner for external relations]], [[Benita Ferrero-Waldner]] declared that "we [EU] already have a very, very close relationship with Morocco, and we're studying giving them even more advanced status."<ref>[http://msnbc.msn.com/id/15081798/site/newsweek/ ''Don't look now, but a bit of Europe has come to the Maghreb. What next—full-fledged EU membership?''] - [[Newsweek]] </ref>
==Issues==
[[Illegal immigration]] and [[terrorism]] have already replaced issues on the agenda that were important before like [[trade]] (i.e. agriculture and fishing) and [[drug trafficking]]. Starting in 2000, Moroccan and EU authorities have been keen to work together more closer with [[Criminal intelligence|intelligence]] sharing and [[border control]] cooperation.
Human rights was an issue that curved Morocco-EU relationships for decades. Now, many European officials have lauded the efforts Morocco has made in the [[human rights]] field.
Another hot issue concerns territorial disputes. In July 2002, there was a skirmish between Spain and Morocco during the [[Perejil]] incident. Though tensions have eased since the coming of the [[Spanish Socialist Workers' Party|Spanish Socialist party]] to power, the two Spanish enclaves of [[Ceuta]] and [[Melilla]] are still an obstacle between the two neighbouring countries. In [[October 2006]] a diplomatic controversy was sparked between Morocco and [[Spain]] when Morocco had denied entry from Ceuta of a Spanish aid package consisting of 150 patrol vehicles to fight illegal immigration. This was later resolved by delivering the goods 50 km off [[Tangier]]'s coast<ref>[http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/10/04/europe/EU_GEN_Spain_Morocco.php ''Spain to go ahead with aid package that turned into diplomatic incident with Morocco''] - [[IHT]]</ref>.
The [[Western Sahara]] conflict has always been on the agenda. Morocco has been seeking a formal European recognition of its claimed rights over the disputed territory.
==Agreements==
Since 2000 Morocco and the EU have signed many bilateral agreements. We can quote the various agreements of [[free trade]] that Morocco ratified with its principal economic partners like the [[Euro-Mediterranean free trade area]] agreement with the objective of integrating the [[European Free Trade Association]] at the horizons of [[2012]]. The two sides recently announced plans to extend their Free Trade Agreement to cover not only goods, but also all agriculture and services by [[2010]], giving Morocco almost the same deal with Europe as member states have with each other. Those agreements are parts of the [[Euro-Mediterranean free trade area|Euro-Med Partnership]] signed in [[Barcelona]], [[Spain]] in 1995.
Morocco and the EU have also signed an [[Open skies|open-skies agreement]]. The agreement is Europe's first ever outside its borders. It came into force on summer 2006.
==See also==
* [[Enlargement of the European Union]]
* [[United States-Morocco Free Trade Agreement]]
* [[Economy of Morocco]]
* [[Human rights in Morocco]]
* [[Mediterranean Union]]
==External links==
* [http://ec.europa.eu/comm/external_relations/morocco/intro/index.htm ''The EU's relations with Morocco''] - ''The European Commission website''
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3317149.stm ''Morocco-Spain railway tunnel'']
==References and notes==
<References/>
[[Category:Foreign relations of Morocco|E]]
[[Category:Economy of Morocco|E]]
[[Category:History of Morocco|E]]
[[Category:Third country relationships with the European Union]]