Publications /
Research Paper

Back
Has Morocco Benefited from the Free Trade Agreement with the European Union?
February 19, 2020

Since the free trade agreement (FTA) between Morocco and the European Union (EU) came into force nearly two decades ago, Morocco’s export performance on EU markets has been less than stellar and the trade deficit with the EU has surged. This has led many observers to take a negative view of the agreement. Yet, bilateral trade balances are not the best way to assess the effects of a trade agreement, and Morocco has derived major benefits in other ways. As they progress on negotiations towards a more comprehensive and deeper relationship, both Morocco and the EU have much work to do to make the agreement work even better for Moroccans. This Policy Paper presents an assessment of the EU-Morocco FTA and outlines some policy implications, focusing not only on trade flows between the two partners, but also on Foreign Direct Investment, regional integration, and the impact on Moroccan importers and consumers.

RELATED CONTENT

  • October 24, 2023
    لقد ظلت سيناريوهات المستقبل والدراسات المستقبلية لفترة طويلة جدًا، بعيدة عن قائمة القضايا المتعلقة بأفريقيا، والآن أصبح من الواضح أكثر فأكثر أن مستقبل كوكبنا يتم صناعته في أفريقيا  بشكل متزايد، سواء كان المرء يتعامل مع إشكاليات الأزمات البيئية وتغير المناخ واللاجئين والطاقة المتجددة وما...
  • Authors
    October 23, 2023
    Like many countries of the Global South, South Africa espouses an independent, non-aligned approach to foreign policy. This approach has been criticized during the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war as a superficial excuse to be ‘soft’ on Russia. Deeper reflection and analysis however, points to a finely calibrated multi-alignment strategy, which allows South Africa to secure its national interests while carefully balancing relations with the United States (U.S.), European Union (EU) and ot ...
  • Authors
    October 19, 2023
    The headline itself was not surprising: ”Egyptians face peril at sea in dangerous new Exodus to  Europe”. The path, from hidden Egyptian ports to a neighboring Libyan landing spot and then to the Italian coast, has been tempting thousand Egyptians years ago, but recently, and apparently ever since, reported Ruth Michaelson in the British “Guardian” (December 18, 2022), the escape route has been “resurrected”, more than 20,000 Egyptians arrived last year in Italy via Libya, about thr ...
  • Authors
    Jean Louis-Sarbib
    October 18, 2023
    Addressing inequalities in all their forms has emerged as one of the major global challenges faced by numerous countries across the globe, particularly in Africa. In a context where Africa faces many pressing challenges that are the subject of much analysis (Sarbib et al. 2022), there is a clear gap in conducting comprehensive reviews focused on inequalities, partly due to the lack of available data. Inequalities, which are both consequences and partial causes of poor development o ...
  • October 13, 2023
    Chair: Masood Ahmed, President, Center for Global Development (CGD) Speakers: Niels Annen, Parliament State Secretary, Ministry of Economic Cooperation, Germany Michael Hugman, Director, Climate Finance, Climate Children's Investment Fund Foundation Avinash Persaud, Advisor, Prime...
  • Authors
    Xiaofeng Wang
    October 13, 2023
    The surprising victory of Javier Milei, the unconventional ‘anarcho-capitalist’ candidate, in the August primaries ahead of Argentina’s October 2023 general election, can be largely credited to his commitment to dollarize the Argentine economy, a move perceived as the ultimate solution to bring an end to the nation's economic turmoil. The potential shift from the local currency to the dollar has sparked concerns about Argentina's bilateral currency swap line with China. This swap l ...
  • October 13, 2023
    ChairJorgelina A. do Rosario, Emerging Market Correspondent, Thomson Reuters Speakers Barry Eichengreen, Professor of Economics, University of California Berkeley Martin Guzmán, Co-President, Initiative for Policy Dialogue, Columbia University Nandalal Weerasinghe, Governor, Central...
  • Authors
    Pierre Jacquemot
    October 13, 2023
    La dernière série de coups d’État en Afrique subsaharienne cache-t-elle un spectaculaire retournement contre les processus politiques fondés sur le principe électoral qui avaient été engagés dans les années 1990 ? Pour sept pays concernés (Burkina Faso, Gabon, Guinée, Mali, Niger, Soudan, Tchad), la prise du pouvoir par les militaires signe la fin d’un cycle, celui de la tentative de démocratisation par l’élection, et l’entrée dans un nouveau cycle, à l’issue inconnue ...