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Germany and Morocco: Bilateral relations

26.06.2024 - Article

The Kingdom of Morocco is an important link between North and South in political, cultural and economic terms and is a key partner for the European Union and Germany in North Africa. Germany and Morocco have maintained diplomatic relations since 1956. In August 2022 they agreed in a joint declaration to establish an enhanced partnership focused on the future.

Morocco has launched comprehensive reforms. The country plays a key role in preserving stability and promoting sustainable development in the region, for example through its engagement in the Libyan peace process. With its Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General Staffan de Mistura, who was appointed in 2021, the United Nations is endeavouring to find a solution to the Western Sahara issue. Germany is supporting the Personal Envoy in his efforts to find a just, lasting political solution acceptable to all on the basis of the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions. In 2007, Morocco made an important contribution to such a solution by presenting an autonomy plan.

Germany and Morocco enjoy significant economic and trade relations. In 2023, Germany ranked eighth among Morocco’s trading partners. Imports from Morocco amounted to just under 2.8 billion euro, and exports to Morocco totalled 3.2 billion euro in 2023. There are nearly 300 companies with German equity participation operating in Morocco and around 30 of them have production facilities. Morocco is a popular tourist destination. In 2023, approximately 5.1% of foreign tourists were from Germany (around 700,000).

Germany is lending its support to Morocco in its modernisation efforts and is one of its biggest bilateral development partners. At the intergovernmental negotiations held in Rabat in December 2023, 529 million euro were pledged, mostly in the form of repayable loans from the KfW Entwicklungsbank (KfW development bank). German-Moroccan development cooperation focuses on two core areas, namely sustainable economic development, vocational training and employment, as well as climate and energy, Just Transition. Moreover, migration and good governance are being addressed. Morocco is one of the countries in the G20 Compact with Africa initiative aiming to improve conditions for private investment.

In addition to GIZ, KfW , the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) and the German Chambers of Commerce Abroad (AHK), the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, the Hanns Seidel Foundation and the Heinrich Böll Foundation have their own offices in the country. The Goethe-Institut has offices in Casablanca and Rabat, as well as German Points of Dialogue in Tangier and Oujda. A number of partner schools exist, as well as more than 60 cooperation projects in the area of higher education. There are German Academic Exchange Service lectors working in Rabat and Meknes. The Federal Foreign Office also funds cultural preservation measures in Morocco.

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