Morocco

Political relations

Our long-standing, excellent bilateral relations are have been marked by intense, regular dialogue since the mid-1990s. King Mohammed VI chose France for his first State visit in March 2000. President Macron made a friendship visit to Morocco at the invitation of the King on 14 and 15 June 2017, one month after his inauguration and for his first bilateral visit as Head of State outside of Europe. After two months in France following a surgical operation, Mohammed VI met with the French President on 10 April 2018 in Paris. Mohammed VI also took part in armistice commemorations on 11 November 2018. The French President visited Morocco on 15 November 2018 for the inauguration, alongside Mohammed VI, of the high-speed railway line from Tangiers to Kenitra, which was born of a bilateral partnership.

High-level meetings are held regularly at the level of Heads of Government. These meetings, which have taken place since 1997, have helped bring our political dialogue up to the level we maintain with our closest European partners, demonstrating France’s solidarity with Morocco. The 13th High-Level Franco-Moroccan Meeting was held in Rabat on 15 and 16 November 2017. A delegation of ten Ministers and Ministers of State participated in the meeting alongside the Prime Minister, Mr Edouard Philippe, who co-chaired this meeting with his Moroccan counterpart. Some 22 partnership agreements were signed and five key cooperation areas were identified during this meeting: Africa, young people, innovation, mobility, decentralized cooperation and regionalization.

Mr Jean-Yves Le Drian received his Moroccan counterpart, Mr Nasser Bourita, in Paris on 31 October 2018.

Economic relations

France remains one of Morocco’s leading economic partners, despite growing competition in the areas of trade and investment. France exports to Morocco fell slightly by 2% in 2017. Morocco’s exports to France increased by 52% between 2012 and 2017. This increase is dominated by textiles, electrical and electronic components, and agrifood products. Overall, recent trends confirm the move upmarket of Moroccan exports, more centred on industrial products.

France remains the leading foreign investor in Morocco. In 2017, France posted 31.4% (€737 million) of the total net foreign direct investment (FDI) received by Morocco, mainly in industry. With more than 900 subsidiaries of French companies, Morocco is the leading destination of French investment on the African continent. It is noteworthy that 33 of the 40 companies listed on the France’s CAC 40 stock market index are present in Morocco.