European Council endorses Morocco-EU association accord

The European council endorsed the Morocco-European association accord that will come into force next March.The accord, signed in February 1996, provides for regular political dialogue between the two sides, the establishment of a free-trade area, and the consolidation of economic, financial, social and cultural cooperation in the framework of the MEDA program.

Part of this program, the EU allocated Morocco during the 1996-99 period, more than 650 million Euros to back the kingdom's economic transition and its economic and social sectors.

The accord-- that has been ratified by the European parliament as well as by the parliaments of Morocco and the 15 EU member states-- is the third of the kind after those with Palestine that came into force in July 1997 and with Tunisia, enforced as of March 1998.