European Union official visits Morocco on Monday

The European Union commissioner for external relations, Chris Patten, is expected in Morocco next Monday to review with officials a set of issues, mainly the Euro-Mediterranean conference.

A statement of the European Commission says Patten, who will also visit Tunisia, will underline the continuity of the European Union support to the Mediterranean region and encourage enforcement of the decisions made at last November's meeting of Euro-Mediterranean foreign ministers.

The source says Patten will propose a technical assistance to support the recent agreement between Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and Jordan for a close economic integration. The commission sees this agreement as likely to give a new impetus to the Barcelona process.

The statement says the European Union backs a call launched by King Mohammed VI to grant Morocco a status superior to that of an associate member and inferior to that of a full-fledged member.

Patten's talks in Morocco will focus on the association agreement between Morocco and the EU, the enforcement of the MEDA financial program, immigration and trade.

Regarding immigration, the statement says Patten will renew the stance that the issue should be addressed in a balanced manner.

As for trade and particularly fishery, the EU says it is convinced that its relations with Morocco are strong enough to overcome the disagreement, entailed by the failure to reach a new fisheries agreement with Morocco.

After Patten, a European commissioner for trade, Pascal Lamy, will be in Morocco on June 28 while the commissioner for justice and internal affairs, Antonio Vitorino, will also visit Morocco in the coming months.