France and Morocco embark on a new chapter with proposed friendship treaty

A profound commitment to forging a lasting strategic partnership is evident as France and Morocco move towards drafting a significant new treaty. This initiative signals a mutual desire to establish a bilateral pact mirroring the spirit of the Franco-German Elysée Treaty, famously signed in 1963 by General de Gaulle and Chancellor Konrad Adenauer.

While not tasked with direct treaty negotiations—a responsibility reserved for the two governments—a dedicated commission is formulating comprehensive proposals. These encompass the guiding principles for the partnership, strategic priorities extending to 2035-2040, mechanisms for political dialogue, and key areas for economic, security, military, academic, and cultural cooperation.

A fundamental question arises: why a friendship treaty now? This new accord is poised to supersede the historic La Celle-Saint-Cloud agreement, signed in France on November 6, 1955. That agreement laid the groundwork for Morocco’s return to independence and the official end of the protectorate on March 2, 1956, notably facilitating the return of Mohammed V to the Throne after his deportation on August 20, 1953.

Today, the objective is to solidify the achievements of an already exceptional partnership while laying strategic foundations for an equitable, peer-to-peer relationship designed to endure for decades to come.

Four primary pillars underpin this ambitious framework. The first centers on **economic collaboration**: Paris pledges substantial investments in crucial Moroccan industrial sectors, including automotive, rail, defense, and maritime transport. This commitment extends to supporting their modernization through cutting-edge technologies. In turn, Rabat commits to granting preferential access to French enterprises within major infrastructure projects, complemented by attractive fiscal incentives.

The second pillar addresses **security and defense industry cooperation**. This includes military technology transfers aimed at positioning Morocco as a regional production hub for both light and heavy equipment, encompassing aviation, munitions, military vehicles, and armored systems. Furthermore, joint training and exercise programs will be expanded, and coordination in security and intelligence will be strengthened to effectively tackle regional security challenges, particularly in the Sahel.

A significant third pillar is dedicated to **cultural exchange**. This involves maintaining the continued prominence of the French language within the Moroccan educational system and promoting Francophonie, without impeding the Kingdom’s embrace of international business languages like English. Efforts will also focus on facilitating access for Moroccan students to French universities—a community that currently exceeds 42,000—and expanding the existing network of twelve French cultural institutes, alongside opening new educational institutions, especially in Morocco’s Southern provinces.

The final pillar delves into **geopolitical and strategic alignment**. This entails Paris’s steadfast support for Morocco’s paramount interests, including backing the autonomy plan for the Sahara, which the United Nations Security Council endorsed within the framework of a negotiated settlement process (Resolution 2797 of October 31, 2025). France will also advocate for Moroccan interests within European Union institutions and defend them in sectors such as agriculture and fishing, as well as across various bilateral and multilateral cooperation frameworks.

Additionally, France anticipates Morocco’s involvement in various new strategic alliances across West Africa, a region where French influence has progressively waned over the past decade. The goal is to leverage the Kingdom’s established position as a regional strategic hub.

Ultimately, this treaty carries profound symbolic and diplomatic significance. It would uniquely bind France to a non-European Union state, a feat Algeria has yet to achieve despite numerous attempts over two decades under the presidencies of Jacques Chirac and Abdelaziz Bouteflika, and more recently Emmanuel Macron and Abdelmadjid Tebboune.

Morocco is increasingly asserting itself as a regional power, an economic hub, and a leading player in energy, logistics, and security matters. This proposed treaty could thus serve as a demonstrative and exemplary model: a potential template for re-articulating new forms of cooperation between Europe and Africa.