Vice-President of the European Commission and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell will pay an official visit to Morocco on Jan 5-6, the European External Action Service (EEAS) announced Wednesday.
The EU official is scheduled to meet in Rabat with Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch, Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, as well as other institutional and economic figures. He will visit “the Euro-Mediterranean University in Fez” on the second day.
According to the EEAS, the visit offers a chance for an in-depth debate on the EU-Morocco collaboration, notably in the context of the new Mediterranean Agenda.
The visit is part of the 2019 Joint Political Declaration, establishing the Euro-Moroccan Partnership for Shared Prosperity. It reflects the EU’s will to set up an exemplary partnership with Morocco in the Euro-Mediterranean zone and beyond.
This partnership has become a reference in the EU Neighborhood Policy through the Green Partnership, the talks on the Digital Partnership, the multiple agreements on fisheries, trade, agriculture… the Economy and Investment Plan under the New Agenda for the Mediterranean (6 flagship projects), a 1.6 billion Euro financial support over 2021-2027, the security and legal cooperation under way, the 2022 anti-illegal migration partnership, and trilateral cooperation projects with African and Mediterranean countries.
The visit is an occasion to give momentum to the Morocco-EU partnership by giving concrete substance to its objectives ahead of the 15th Morocco-EU Association Council. It is also meant to boost this partnership to address other challenges as security, energy transition, food security and climate change.
Morocco was always perceived by the EU as a factor of regional stability and model of peace in Africa.