Export-oriented agricultural development and trade liberalisation in Morocco: an analysis of the Plan Maroc Vert and EU-Morocco trade relations

This thesis analyses agricultural trade liberalisation in Morocco, with a particular focus on the Plan Maroc Vert (PMV), an export-oriented agricultural policy launched in 2008. The study examines the economic rationale of the PMV through the lens of international trade theory, while also addressing its social and environmental implications within the structurally vulnerable context of Moroccan agriculture. Particular attention is paid to the integration of the PMV into EU-Morocco agricultural trade relations, given the central role of the European Union as Morocco’s main trading partner. The research adopts a qualitative and descriptive methodology based on the analysis of official policy documents, EU-Morocco trade agreements, secondary statistical data and academic literature. Quantitative data are used descriptively to support the qualitative analysis. The analysis shows that the PMV has contributed to significant growth in agricultural value added and exports, consistent with the logic of export specialisation. At the same time, structural vulnerabilities related to food dependency, distributive outcomes and water stress have persisted within the agricultural sector.