WTO concludes sixth review of the trade policies and practices of Morocco

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has completed the sixth review of the trade policies and practices of Morocco. All the WTO members, including Customs Unions, have their trade policies periodically reviewed by the Organization in order to verify coherence with the basic WTO principles and rules. The frequency of such assessment varies depending on their share of world trade in goods and services.

Morocco currently has 12 free trade agreements (FTAs) in place that offer market access to some 100 countries around the world, representing almost 2.5 billion consumers. Regional trade agreements exist with the following partners: the European Union (with which has concluded an Association agreement, i.e. agreements homologue to Economic Partnership Agreements that are in force with all Northern African countries, except Libya), the United States, Turkey, the United Kingdom (an association agreement provisionally entered into force on 1 January 2021), the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and the United Arab Emirates. Moreover, Morocco is a member of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA), and the Agadir Agreement (Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia). With regard to the AfCFTA, Morocco signed the Agreement in March 2018 and ratified it in February 2022.

In 2001, Morocco also established a unilateral concession scheme that grants preferential tariff access to certain products originating in and coming directly from 33 African LDCs. This initiative, inspired to the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) that industrialized economies offer to developing and less developed countries, was lastly updated in 2023.

The WTO assessment document also shows that Morocco has achieved a good diversification of its economy, being Africa's leading car manufacturer, and being in the process of shifting its automotive industry towards electric vehicles. This has favoured the development of a value chain for the production of electric vehicle batteries. Morocco is also the Africa's leading exporter of aeronautical equipment, parts and components, a sector that currently employs over 21,000 people and includes 143 companies that are integrated into global value chains. Another key sector is the agri-food industry, which covers a wide range of activities, from simple value enhancement to the production of processed products both in the agricultural and in the fishery sector. Textile and leather industry, the chemical and para-chemical industry, the pharmaceutical industry, the electrical and electronics industry, the engineering and metallurgy industry and the construction material industry are other important sectors of the economy, together with tourism and craft industries.

An important chapter of the document is dedicated to the infrastructure development, as key factor that the Morocco government has prioritized to boost competitiveness of its companies, attract investment that creates jobs and added value, and position the country as a key African logistics hub. To date, it has 1,800 km of motorways and 57,334 km of roads, including 1,857 km of expressways, with the transport sector accounting for 6% of GDP. Moreover, Morocco has not only invested in the creation of innovative infrastructure, notes the WTO, but also in the upgrading of economic operators and the strengthening of their skills, which is particularly important.

Morocco also boasts a dense and high-performance rail network, including Africa's first high-speed train and one of the fastest trains globally.

With regard to the port infrastructure, the country has undergone considerable development in recent years, now boasting a network of 43 ports, comprising 14 international commercial ports, 22 fishing ports and seven marinas. The port of Tanger Med is a major Mediterranean and continental hub, ranked fourth globally by the World Bank's Container Port Performance Index, and is also ranked first in Africa.