The year 2026 is set to be a major turning point in the relations between Morocco and France, with the implementation of the strategic partnership framework announced in October 2024 in Rabat by President Emmanuel Macron. Mustapha Terrab with the French president / Archive - DR ‹ › After a delay from the initial timeline announced by President Emmanuel Macron in Rabat in October 2024, Morocco and France are now expected to finalize a new friendship treaty in 2026. The signing could coincide with an official visit by King Mohammed VI to Paris, marking a renewed chapter in bilateral relations between the two countries. In this context, Morocco and France have established a joint committee of around a dozen prominent figures tasked with drafting proposals on the future of their relationship, according to Africa Intelligence. Dubbed a «Committee of Wise Persons», the body is responsible for outlining a strategic cooperation framework for the next thirty years. Drawing inspiration from landmark agreements such as the Elysée Treaty between France and Germany and the Quirinal Treaty between France and Italy, the new framework aims to strengthen the bilateral partnership and shield it from political fluctuations. A Strategic Initiative Announced in October 2024 The committee members were jointly appointed by King Mohammed VI and President Emmanuel Macron. On the Moroccan side, they include Mostafa Terrab, CEO of OCP Group; Chakib Benmoussa, High Commissioner for Planning and former ambassador to Paris; and Mounia Boucetta, appointed ambassador and secretary-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in July 2020. On the French side, figures expected to participate include Jean-Louis Guigou, economist and founding president of the Institute for Economic Foresight of the Mediterranean World; Elisabeth Guigou, former Minister of Justice and former chair of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs Committee; and Hubert Védrine, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, whose diplomatic experience is expected to contribute to shaping what has been described as an «enhanced exceptional partnership». During his state visit to Morocco in October 2024, President Macron formally proposed the creation of a new bilateral strategic framework. «To project our bilateral relationship into the future and realize this ambition, I proposed to His Majesty King Mohammed VI that France and Morocco be linked by a new strategic framework, which could be signed 70 years after the Celle-Saint-Cloud agreement (November 6, 1955), during a state visit to France that His Majesty has accepted. The Kingdom of Morocco would thus be the first country outside the European Union with which we would engage so intensely», Macron said in a speech before the Moroccan Parliament. The French president also announced the immediate establishment of a joint monitoring committee tasked with submitting proposals by the first quarter of 2025 to define and operationalize this new partnership framework, aimed at consolidating Franco-Moroccan ties over the long term.
