On Saturday and Sunday, 6-7 March in Granada, Morocco and the EU hold their first Summit since the concession of the advanced status to Morocco, at the end of a week that has also seen an EU-Morocco forum of local authorities (2-3 March) and an EU-Morocco business summit (6 March).

Meeting between European and Moroccan business leaders, with the aim of fostering closer business relationships and getting to grips with common strategies and courses of action. Organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, the Regional Government of Andalusia, Casa Árabe and the Confederation of Andalusian Businessmen and Women.

Progress in relations
The Partnership between the EU and Morocco has been growing stronger ever since the adoption of the joint document on establishing Morocco's advanced status in its relationship with the Union, at the Association Council of 13 October 2008. The joint document forms an ambitious roadmap for the progressive and sustained development of bilateral relations in many fields, and sets out a series of new objectives: a deepening of political relations and integration with the internal market on the basis of a convergence of regulations and fostering of sector cooperation.

According to an EU statement on the occasion of the 8th meeting of the EU-Morocco Association Council on 7 December, 2009, “This stronger partnership is evidence of the EU's readiness to respond positively to Morocco's expectations and specific needs, in order to support its courageous process of modernisation and democratisation.”

The statement adds that Morocco’s efforts to implement the joint document, particularly in terms of political, strategic and economic dialogue, and in financial and social matters, “deserve to be emphasised”. It also welcomes progress in implementing the EU-Morocco Neighbourhood Action Plan, based on the monitoring reports prepared by the European Commission, which made it possible to grant Morocco additional finance under the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument’s (ENPI) Governance Facility in 2007, 2008 and 2009. The Action Plan comes to an end in 2010, and a process of reflection has been initiated on the new instrument that will follow.

An indicative amount of €580.5 million is allocated to Morocco for 2011-2013 under the ENPI “Morocco continues to distinguish itself by its vision and its commitment within the European Neighbourhood Policy and the Union for the Mediterranean. The EU considers that the deepening of bilateral relations with Morocco is a concrete expression of the principle of differentiation which is one of the bases of the European Neighbourhood Policy.”

EU & Morocco Trade Relations
Morocco is an active participant in the Euromed process, which aims to create a Euro-Mediterranean Free Trade Area by 2010. Bilaterally with the EU, Morocco pursues a close economic relationship that is "more than association, less than accession". The EU is Morocco's first trading partner accounting for nearly 60% of its total trade, the bulk of which is textiles and agricultural goods.
EU-Morocco trade is growing fast. Between 1995 and 2007, trade volumes grew by over 80%

Trade in goods
• EU exports of goods to Morocco 2007: €13 billion
• EU imports of goods from Morocco 2007: €7.3 billion
Morocco's economy is still relatively dependant on trade in textiles and agricultural products, which together accounted for 52% of EU imports from Morocco in 2007.