Morocco and the European Union: so close, yet so far
dailystar.com.lb
Excerpt:
So for the time being at least, Morocco and Europe seem to be drifting apart. However, the underlying reality is that its relationship with the EU remains the single most important influence on Morocco, though with stronger competition from the United States. An American trump card being played in this connection is a proposal still in its infancy for a free-trade agreement between the kingdom and the United States. At the same time, the prosperity gap between Morocco and the EU has widened rather than diminished, and the Sept. 11 shock to the tourism sector in Morocco will lead to even lower growth.
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Isn't it ironic? I mean, here we've got two Muslim countries --Turkey and Morocco-- which are side-by-side with one of the world's largest economic bloc, that is, the EU. And both Turkey and Morocco are slumming it.... Their economies are slowly drowning in a deeper and deeper crisis --with no help from the Euros in sight. Again, the US is playing the firefighter: a free-trade agreement with Morocco is in the offing --LOL! It's as if Mexico had a free-trade agreement with the EU but not with the US....
Gus |
