QUESTIONS AND REPLIES

The following communication, dated 10 July 2025, is being circulated at the request of the delegations of the United Kingdom and Morocco.

This document reproduces the follow‑up question addressed to the Parties during the 113^th Session of the CRTA and the responses submitted.

_______________

Question from the European Union

1.1.  We would be interested in learning whether the Parties have a timeline in mind for modernizing their Association Agreement. In this context, we have also noted that the Parties recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding to further their cooperation.

Reply from Morocco:

-_         At this stage, no specific timeline has been established for the modernization of the Association Agreement between Morocco and the United Kingdom. The process is closely linked to the progress of ongoing technical discussions between the two Parties, which cover several areas of mutual interest.

-_         Several consultation meetings have already taken place to explore possible improvements and adjustments to the current Agreement, in line with the evolving economic and trade priorities of both sides.

-_         In this regard, the modernization of the Agreement is expected to follow a gradual and flexible approach, depending on the outcome of sectoral negotiations and the strategic objectives pursued by both Parties.

Reply from United Kingdom:

The UK‑Morocco Association Agreement contains certain review clauses, under which both Parties can update and further tailor the Association Agreement to the particularities of our respective economies. As mentioned during the Committee for Regional Trade Agreements Meeting held on 17 June, both Parties are currently engaged in discussions for the UK‑Morocco Agriculture Tariff Review. The review was launched in December 2023, with the ambition of further liberalising trade in agricultural goods between the UK and Morocco. Discussions are ongoing.

The UK‑Morocco Agreement further contains a services review clause. At this moment the UK and Morocco are both engaged in internal deliberations on this matter.

While there is no formal timeline currently agreed for a comprehensive modernisation of the Agreement, both Parties remain open to exploring opportunities to deepen and expand our bilateral trade relationship as demonstrated in the recent UK‑Morocco Strategic Dialogue.