Send Print Share

Europe and the International System / Policy Brief

Morocco's 'advanced status': Model or muddle?

05/03/2010 By Kristina Kausch

The ‘advanced status’ of partnership underwent its first overhaul at the EU–Morocco summit in Granada on 6 and 7 March. Granted to Morocco by the EU in October 2008 via the adoption of a generally formulated roadmap, the new status foresees a substantial intensification of bilateral diplomatic and trade relations between the EU and Morocco. Southern European member states can potentially gain most from closer EU-Moroccan relations.

They must abandon their self-centred slide-rule mentality and value the ‘advanced status’ as a forward-looking attempt to tie Morocco to Europe. From a larger European perspective, as the first country to be granted this new status under the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), Morocco also becomes a key EU foreign policy laboratory in which the Union will hopefully develop a new, more attractive formula for its relations with neighbouring countries in the South where EU membership is not an option. In order for the ‘advanced status’ to fully develop its potential, both Morocco and the EU need to do their homework now: Morocco must commit to an advanced and measurable level of political and economic reform; and EU member states must start releasing those incentives that are most attractive to Morocco.

Download the full version of this publication, available in English (130 kB)
Spanish (131 kB)

Keywords

Authoritarian regimes Conditionality Democratisation European Neighbourhood Policy European Union Human rights Institution building Middle East and North Africa Morocco North Africa Political Reform Trade

Related publications

• An Islamist Government in Morocco?
• How serious is the EU about supporting democracy and human rights in Morocco?
• Human Rights, Reconciliation and Human Development in Morocco
• Morocco: negotiating change with the Makhzen
• Morocco: Whitewash, Resignation
• Spain and Morocco: towards a reform agenda?

Bio author: Kristina Kausch

Kristina Kausch is a researcher at FRIDE. Her research focuses on European policies in the EU's neighbourhood, in particular in the Southern Mediterranean, democracy, human rights and governance, and political Islam.