Publications /
Research Paper

Back
Download PDF
French Version
Has Morocco Benefited from the Free Trade Agreement with the European Union?
Authors
Rim Berahab
Uri Dadush
February 19, 2020
Related topics: 

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

  • Download PDF
    Europe in North Africa: Fighting Short-Termism
    Authors
    Tobias Borck
    May 17, 2017
    Europe and North Africa are bound in a strategic relationship. The stability, security and prosperity of both regions are inextricably linked. European countries - both individually and collectively (inside and outside the framework of the European Union) - have to develop a more strategic approach to their southern neighbourhood in order to overcome the current migration crisis, work with the North African states to counter violent extremism, and make the most of the many economic ...
  • La diplomatie énergétique de la Chine
    Gabrielle Desarnaud
    May 16, 2017
    Ce podcast est présenté par Mme. Gabrielle Desarnaud, chercheur au Centre Energie de l’IFRI. Un peu plus de trois ans se sont écoulés depuis le lancement des routes de la soie par le Prés ...
  • Download PDF
    The Global Outlook and Morocco
    Authors
    Uri Dadush
    May 8, 2017
    Despite fraught politics, the global outlook is strengthening. The next twelve months are likely to be characterized by moderate but steady growth across the world. However, the outlook becomes murkier as we move into the second half of 2018 and 2019. Significant upside in world economic growth is possible on account of building momentum against a background of low capacity utilization, but even greater downside is possible on account of inconsistent economic policy in the Unites St ...
  • Economic Diplomacy Elevating Morocco into a Continental ‘Soft Power’
    Authors
    Michael N Mulikita
    May 6, 2017
    1. Background & Context Perhaps the most noteworthy highlight of the 2017 African Union Summit in Addis Ababa Ethiopia was the decision by the majority of AU member states to welcome back into the organization the Kingdom of Morocco after a thirty-three year absence.  It should be remembered that the Kingdom of Morocco was a founding member of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 1963. Morocco played an assertive role in the OAU by firmly backing ...
  • Download PDF
    Europe’s role in North Africa: development, investment and migration
    Authors
    Uri Dadush
    Maria Demertzis
    Guntram Wolff
    May 2, 2017
    Africa’s population is projected to reach almost 2.5 billion by 2050. Migration from Africa to the EU is relatively stable, at around 500,000 migrants per year, or 0.1 percent of the EU population, yet irregular immigration into the EU has increased recently. Development is often seen as the way to reduce migration but the development-migration nexus is complex. At low levels of development, migration might increase with rising GDP per capita. This applies to most of sub-Saharan Af ...