Morocco and France have approved a new batch of decentralised cooperation projects worth 26.4 million dirhams (US$2.6 million), supporting 15 initiatives led by local authorities in both countries, officials said.
The projects were endorsed at a steering committee meeting held on December 10 in Rabat, marking the latest phase of a partnership that has steadily expanded over more than a decade.
The meeting was co-chaired by representatives of Morocco’s Ministry of Interior, through the Directorate General of Territorial Communities (DGCT), and France’s Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, represented by its delegation for local authorities and civil society.
Senior officials attending included Morocco’s Wali and Director General of Territorial Communities, Jelloul Samsseme, and France’s ambassador to Morocco, Christophe Lecourtier.
The approved initiatives fall under the Franco-Moroccan Joint Fund for Decentralised Cooperation, a mechanism designed to promote direct collaboration between Moroccan and French regions, municipalities and local institutions.
According to officials, the projects focus on practical, locally driven solutions aimed at improving territorial governance, public service delivery and sustainable development.
They are intended to respond to concrete needs at the local level, rather than remaining confined to state-to-state agreements, reflecting a shared commitment to empowering local actors and strengthening grassroots cooperation.
“This approach allows communities to benefit directly from international cooperation through projects that are adapted to their specific realities,” an official involved in the programme said.
The partnership is part of a broader effort by Rabat and Paris to anchor bilateral relations more firmly at the territorial level, at a time when both countries are placing greater emphasis on decentralisation and regional development.
A partnership built over time
Decentralised cooperation between Morocco and France dates back to 2012, when the two countries launched their first joint funding mechanism dedicated specifically to local authorities.
Since then, four successive generations of joint triennial funds have been implemented, gradually expanding both the scale of financing and the range of sectors covered.
Over the years, the programme has supported dozens of projects across areas including territorial governance, administrative capacity-building, tourism development, digital transformation, youth engagement, citizen participation and sustainable development.
Officials say the continuity of the scheme has allowed local partners to build institutional expertise, exchange best practices and adapt projects to evolving social, economic and environmental challenges.
The latest funding round reflects this accumulated experience, with selected initiatives described as operational, results-oriented and closely aligned with local development priorities.
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Both Moroccan and French representatives stressed the importance of ensuring that decentralised cooperation delivers tangible results on the ground, particularly in regions facing pressures linked to urbanisation, unemployment or climate change.
Beyond the projects approved this year, the steering committee also discussed the future of the partnership.
A new call for project proposals covering the 2026–2027 period is expected to be launched in the second half of 2026, signalling a continued commitment to decentralised cooperation as a strategic pillar of Morocco–France relations.
Officials said the upcoming phase is likely to place increased emphasis on innovation, sustainability and inclusive development, in line with shared priorities on both sides of the Mediterranean.
France is one of Morocco’s key political and economic partners, with cooperation spanning security, trade, investment, culture and education. Decentralised cooperation has increasingly been used as a complementary tool to strengthen ties by fostering long-term relationships between local authorities and communities in both countries.
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Morocco and France share a long-standing political, economic and cultural relationship rooted in historical ties and reinforced by close diplomatic cooperation since Morocco gained independence in 1956.
France is among Morocco’s closest European partners and one of its largest investors and trading partners. French companies operate across key sectors of the Moroccan economy, including automotive manufacturing, aerospace, banking, energy, telecommunications, infrastructure and retail.
