On the eve of the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Association Agreement between the European Union and the Kingdom of Morocco, we co-chaired the 15th meeting of the EU-Morocco Association Council. Together with the Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Šuica, and the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Member States of the European Union, we celebrated our partnership, forged by more than half a century of cooperation and mutual trust.

This meeting was an opportunity to underline the depth and vitality of the ties that unite our peoples, and that, year after year, have steadily strengthened in the service of our common interests and our shared aspiration for a future of prosperity, peace and security. With renewed conviction, we reaffirmed the importance of this long-standing, rich, multidimensional and privileged strategic partnership between the European Union and Morocco. We reiterated our firm commitment to consolidating this partnership of equals, in particular by building on the achievements of the advanced status and the Euro-Moroccan Partnership for Shared Prosperity, and to raising its ambitions, in order to unlock its full potential for the benefit of our citizens.

We welcomed in particular the progress made in the four structural areas – (i) the area of convergence of values, (ii) the area of economic convergence and social cohesion, (iii) the area of shared knowledge, (iv) the area of political consultation and enhanced cooperation on security – including in fundamental areas of our cooperation, such as inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development, trade and investment, green partnership and the fight against climate change, research and innovation, culture, migration and mobility, as well as the prevention of violent extremism and the strengthening of cooperation on security and justice. This progress shows the vitality and resilience of our partnership, and our common capacity to meet the challenges of our time.

The strength of our partnership is also illustrated by the breadth and diversity of our cooperation in all the areas mentioned. Morocco continues to be the main recipient of EU funding in North Africa, complemented by structural investments supported by the European Investment Bank and Member State financial institutions, amounting to approximately EUR 270 million annually over the period 2021 to 2024, for bilateral and EFSD+ allocations.

Together, we underlined the crucial importance of this partnership in delivering concerted responses to regional and global challenges, and reaffirmed our shared commitment to a rules-based international order, effective multilateralism and respect for international law. In this spirit, we exchanged views on regional and international developments, reiterating our commitment to deepen our cooperation in international and regional fora to promote just and lasting peace, which is the only guarantee of real stability.

With regard to the situation in the Middle East, we welcomed the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2803 (2025) and reaffirmed our commitment to a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace based on the two-state solution, in line with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions. We emphasised the need to protect civilians in Gaza, to ensure the rapid, safe and unimpeded delivery of large-scale humanitarian aid, and to allow the UN and its agencies, as well as humanitarian organisations, to operate independently and impartially. In this regard, we reiterated our support for the work of the Al-Quds Committee, chaired by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, which seeks to promote lasting peace and stability in the Middle East. 

Deploring the serious situation that has persisted for nearly four years since Russia violated Ukraine's territorial integrity, and recalling the various United Nations General Assembly resolutions on Ukraine, the EU and Morocco reaffirmed the obligation of all states to refrain from the threat or use of force in their international relations. We underscored the need to reach, as soon as possible, a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine in line with the principles of the United Nations Charter and international law. We also stressed the need for peaceful conflict resolution and respect for international humanitarian law, reiterating our commitment to ensuring accountability for serious breaches of international law. We reaffirmed our support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders.

The European side restated the EU’s commitment to the resolution of the dispute in Western Sahara and welcomed the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2797 (2025), which expresses full support for the Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy in facilitating and conducting negotiations, taking as a basis Morocco’s Autonomy Proposal, with a view to achieving a just, lasting and mutually acceptable resolution of the dispute, consistent with the United Nations Charter, and welcomes any constructive suggestion by the parties in response to the Autonomy Proposal, and which calls upon the parties to engage in discussions without preconditions, taking as a basis Morocco’s Autonomy Proposal, with a view to achieving a final and mutually acceptable political solution that provides for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, recognises that genuine autonomy could represent a most feasible outcome and encourages the parties to submit ideas to support a final mutually acceptable solution. In this context, the EU welcomed Morocco’s willingness to engage in good faith with all parties concerned in order to clarify the arrangements under this autonomy plan and explain what shape autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty would take. The EU reiterated that it stands ready to assist in facilitating the consultations between the parties within the framework of the United Nations and to support the efforts of the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy.

We also discussed developments in our shared neighbourhood, including the Atlantic African States initiative and initiatives under the Global Gateway strategy. We agreed to strengthen our cooperation in international and regional fora, particularly in the Euro-Mediterranean area and with our African partners. We also emphasised the need to work together to promote stability, security and prosperity in the Sahel region, in particular through coordinated diplomatic efforts.

In this regard, we warmly welcomed the Pact for the Mediterranean, launched in Barcelona on 28 November 2025, which embodies the strategic ambition to redefine relations between the European Union and its southern partners, in a spirit of partnership based on mutual trust and shared responsibility.

The European side expressed its appreciation for Morocco's constructive and visionary role in regional cooperation initiatives, notably the organisation in Rabat on 11 September 2025 of the High-Level Retreat on the Future of Euro-Mediterranean Relations, aimed at enriching the Pact.

In conclusion, we reaffirmed, with renewed determination, our willingness to continue and intensify our exchanges in order to raise the EU-Morocco partnership to match our shared ambitions. We gave a commitment to further deepen our regular political dialogue, and to strengthen our strategic partnership and deepen it in all priority areas for both sides, for the greater benefit of our citizens.

Source: European Council