Morocco is a step closer to strengthening its aviation ties with the European Union after lawmakers in Brussels approved a protocol allowing Croatia to join the bloc’s long-standing open skies agreement with the North African country. The move is expected to support closer travel and trade links between Morocco and the EU.
The European Parliament approved the measure during a plenary session by 625 votes to 16, with 20 abstentions, giving it the backing of about 95% of lawmakers. The vote brings Croatia into a framework it had been excluded from since joining the EU in 2013. The protocol simply updates the legal and technical provisions needed for Croatia to participate fully in the agreement. It does not change the terms of the original deal.
Until now, Morocco and Croatia had relied on a bilateral aviation agreement signed in 1999 to govern air services because Croatia’s EU membership had never been formally incorporated into the Euro-Mediterranean Aviation Agreement. Signed in Brussels in December 2006, that landmark accord was the EU’s first aviation agreement with a non-member country. It allows airlines from Morocco and EU member states to operate direct flights without limits on capacity or flight frequency for scheduled and charter services.
Once Croatia is formally included, eligible airlines from both countries will be able to operate under the same liberalised rules that already apply across the rest of the EU. No carrier has yet announced plans to launch direct flights. Morocco and the EU signed the protocol in November 2025, but it still requires final approval from the Council of the European Union before it can enter into force.
The vote also revives a long-running legal debate over whether the aviation agreement applies to airports in Morocco’s southern provinces, an issue linked to a 2018 ruling by the EU General Court in a case brought by the Polisario Front. Rights groups following the case say the new protocol is purely technical and does not affect the territorial scope of the original agreement.
The timing is significant for Morocco’s aviation sector. The EU remains the country’s biggest international air travel market, and Moroccan airports handled about 18.8 million passengers between January and June 2026, according to the national airports authority, ONDA. Adding Croatia to the agreement could encourage airlines to explore new routes, partnerships and seasonal services, although commercial demand and airport capacity will remain key factors in any expansion.
The aviation milestone comes as Morocco attracts growing European investment in major infrastructure projects. French manufacturer Alstom has secured a €781 million contract, backed by the French Treasury, to supply 18 high-speed trains for the extension of Morocco’s rail network to Marrakech. Spanish train maker CAF has also won a contract worth nearly €600 million to deliver 30 intercity trains, with an option for 10 more, financed through Spain’s Business Internationalisation Fund.
Both projects form part of Morocco’s 96-billion-dirham rail expansion programme launched in 2025. The centrepiece is a 430-kilometre high-speed line connecting Kenitra, Rabat, Casablanca and Marrakech. The upgrades aim to improve transport links between major cities and Mohammed V International Airport ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco will co-host with Spain and Portugal.
Cooperation with Europe is also expanding in the energy sector. Morocco and Portugal agreed in July to pursue EU funding and private investment for a proposed electricity interconnector linking the two countries. Together, the aviation, rail and energy projects highlight Morocco’s deepening partnership with Europe as it prepares to host the 2030 World Cup and accelerates investment in strategic infrastructure.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah