Trade Policy Review
Morocco
Minutes of the Meeting
Chairperson: H.E. Mr
Saqer Abdullah Almoqbel (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)
CONTENTS
1
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON.. 3
2 OPENING STATEMENT BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF
MOROCCO.. 5
3 STATEMENT BY THE DISCUSSANT. 9
4 STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS. 11
5 REPLIES BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF MOROCCO AND
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS. 43
6 CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON.. 49
7 ELECTION OF THE NEW TPRB CHAIRPERSON.. 51
Note: Advance written questions and
additional questions by WTO Members, and the replies provided by Morocco
are reproduced in document _WT/TPR/M/453/Add.1 and will be available online at http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/tpr_e/tp_rep_e.htm.
1.1. The sixth Trade Policy Review
of Morocco was held on 22 and 24 April 2024. The Chairperson, H.E. Mr Saqer Abdullah Almoqbel
(Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), welcomed the delegation of Morocco,
headed by H.E. Mr Abdelouahed Rahal, General Director of Trade,
Ministry of Industry and Trade; to the WTO; the rest of the delegation; and the
discussant, H.E. Dr Sofía Boza Martínez (Chile).
1.2. The Chairperson was pleased that, in
addition to physical presence, the meeting also benefited from the Interprefy
online connection, allowing for a wider participation of the Membership.
1.3. The Chairperson called Members'
attention to the presence of the participants of the Introductory Trade Policy
Course for LDCs in French, who were very interested in attending the review
meeting.
1.4. The Chairperson recalled the purpose
of TPRs and the main elements of procedures for the meeting. The Report by Morocco
is contained in document _WT/TPR/G/453, and that of the WTO Secretariat in
document _WT/TPR/S/453.
1.5. Questions by the following
delegations were submitted in writing before the deadline: Iceland, Singapore,
China, Japan, Russian Federation, Israel, United Kingdom, Brazil,
Argentina, European Union, Guatemala, United States, and
Dominican Republic. The following delegations submitted written questions
after the deadline: Ecuador, Colombia, Türkiye, Thailand,
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia.
1.6. The Chairperson first recalled some
elements of Morocco's previous Review in 2016 and developments since then, as
well as identified some key issues arising from the advance written questions
submitted by Members for the current TPR.
1.7. During the previous Review, Members
praised Morocco for the resilience of its economy, which posted positive
economic growth. They commended Morocco for trade reforms that had stimulated
competition in many sectors of its domestic market, had encouraged innovation
and thus, had created new jobs.
1.8. In the last Review, Members welcomed
Morocco's efforts to facilitate trade through the implementation of customs
modernization, including the introduction of the electronic platform PortNet;
and the improvement of the computer system for customs administration.
1.9. At that time, Members praised
Morocco for the steps taken to reduce its applied import duties and asked about
its plan to reduce the applied rates of tariff lines that seemed to exceed
their corresponding bound levels.
1.10. At the time of the last Review,
Members also sought further clarification on certain issues such as the investment
regime, the fishery regime, as well as on IPR protection.
1.11. The Chairperson then focused on
developments since Morocco's last Review. During the current review period,
real GDP growth averaged 2.3% per year, despite an important economic
contraction in 2020. This contraction was largely due to the pandemic which
significantly impacted most economic activities, notably tourism.
1.12. Both the Secretariat and Government Report
indicate that Morocco has implemented tariffs reforms during the review period.
The simple average applied MFN tariff rate was 16.6% in 2023. However,
Morocco announced a reduction of its customs duties this year 2024.
1.13. During the review period, Morocco
enacted a new Investment Law, with the objective to promote investment and
exports and to reduce regional disparities; that covers almost all sectors. A
new Government Procurement Code, entering into force in 2023, provides
preferences for private companies and micro, small and medium‑sized enterprises
(MSMEs).
1.14. As highlighted in the advanced
written questions, several trade and related measures were of great interest to
Members, in particular, the new industrial policy, the new Investment
Code, progress in the implementation of the African Continental Free
Trade Area (AfCFTA), the applied tariff lines appears to exceed
bound rates, the "sensitive list of products". Other areas of Members' interest included customs procedures as well as
the transition to a green energy policy.
1.15. For the current Review, Morocco has
received 320 advance written questions from 19 delegations, out of
which 212 questions from 13 delegations were sent within the
established deadline. Prior to this meeting, Morocco already provided written
replies to almost all questions submitted by Members.
1.16. The meeting was a good opportunity
for Members to discuss in greater detail issues of interest to them and of
systemic importance to the multilateral trading system. The Chairperson looked
forward to a fruitful exchange.