Morocco and France Strengthen Their Cooperation on Migration Within a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership
The Moroccan-French Joint Permanent Group on Migration held its seventh general meeting yesterday, Wednesday, in Paris, co-chaired by Khalid Zarouali, the Delegate Minister for Migration and Border Control at the Ministry of Interior, and Frédéric Gorham, the Director of Immigration at the French Ministry of Interior. This meeting is part of the ongoing implementation of the “exceptional and solid partnership” announced in October 2024 between His Majesty King Mohammed VI and French President Emmanuel Macron.
During the meeting, both parties emphasized the importance of the progress made towards establishing a comprehensive migration agenda, which includes facilitating regular mobility, enhancing ways to combat illegal migration, cooperating on readmission and preventing unauthorized departures, in addition to improving trilateral coordination among transit, source, and host countries within a framework of shared responsibility.
The two sides highlighted the positive outcomes of the visit by the Interior Ministers of both countries in April 2025 in Rabat, where they agreed to launch technical and institutional workshops aimed at simplifying administrative procedures, standardizing relevant statistical indicators, and developing a shared analysis network for migration data. Summaries of a bilateral mission that worked throughout May and June to identify areas for improvement in identity verification and the issuance of consular transit permits were also presented.
The meeting also addressed legal migration issues, with both parties reaffirming their shared commitment to better structuring circular migration and facilitating the movement of seasonal workers while ensuring their rights are respected. They praised the role of the Moroccan community in France and the French community in Morocco in fostering human and cultural connections, reiterating their commitment to facilitating the movement of students and researchers across the Mediterranean.
Additionally, discussions touched on the issue of unaccompanied minors, with the Moroccan side reiterating the royal instructions aimed at repatriating all identified unaccompanied Moroccan minors. Both parties expressed their desire to activate the December 2020 memorandum of understanding between the Ministries of Justice, aimed at protecting these minors in full compliance with international agreements and national legislation.
In conclusion, the meeting underscored the convergence of views between Paris and Rabat regarding geopolitical and security challenges, reaffirming their joint determination to tackle multifaceted threats, particularly transnational organized crime that jeopardizes the region’s stability.
