The Effect of Brexit on Morocco

If Britain eventually goes ahead and leaves the EU there will be implications for Morocco. The effect of Brexit, at the very least, will be the need to formulate new trade agreements and establish a new economic relationship with Great Britain

The relationship between the UK and Morocco has a long history. The UK is one of Morocco’s oldest partners with 803 years of diplomatic relations. UK links to Anglophone Africa and Morocco’s Francophone African links have created a platform for new business relationships over the years.

UK exports of goods to Morocco reached £573 million in 2014. Bilateral trade in goods and services is worth around £1.8 billion. Morocco's exports to Britain are estimated at 6.01 billion dirhams, while imports amounted to 7.99 billion dirhams at the end of 2015.

Top UK exports to Morocco include: mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation, vehicles (other than railway), iron and steel nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances, electrical machinery and equipment, aircraft, man-made staple fibres, knitted or crocheted fabrics, instruments and apparatus, beverages, vinegar and spirits.

In return, Morocco exports a variety of products to the UK including food, beverages, tobacco, crude materials and fuel, chemicals and related products, manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment.

The UK is Morocco's 7th biggest customer, 15th biggest supplier and among the top 6 foreign investors in the kingdom. Morocco entered into a bilateral Free Trade Agreement with the US in 2006 and an Advanced Status agreement with the EU in 2008.

London Stock Exchange welcomes Moroccan delegates 

The impact on trade between Morocco and Britain will be most felt with the imposition of customs duties and in the opinion of the President of the Moroccan Institute of International Relations (IMRI), Jawad Kerdoudi, there will be an initial decline in trade.

"In principle there will be the issue of customs duties between Morocco and Great Britain and therefore it is feared some decline in trade between the two countries," Mr. Kerdoudi said. He suggested that Britain should start negotiations with several countries, including Morocco, in order to sign free trade agreements to restore exemptions from customs duties. A process, he points out, that may take some time.

The question also arises as to where Morocco sits among the priorities of the UK.

If Britain's exit from the EU causes economic decline in Europe, European demand for Moroccan goods will also decline.

Economist Omar Kettani says that after the exit of Britain from the EU, Morocco must renegotiate free trade agreements not just with Britain but also with the EU. "Morocco should have an open vision and be able to negotiate win-win agreements, especially since Britain will be a country free of European restrictions," says Kettani.

Uncertainties about the economic and political future of Europe will have repercussions on the relationship between the EU and Morocco. However, Morocco will retain its important role with the EU in relationship to anti-terrorism and security cooperation.

The chief of the Bank Al Maghrib, Abdellatif Jouahri, has downplayed the effect on the Moroccan economy of a possible exit from Britain to the EU, calling it "limited". "The exit of Britain from the EU will certainly effect Europe, but will not impact the Moroccan economy more than 0.1 points," he declared during a press conference after the second quarterly meeting of this year the Council of the Central Bank.

Former British Ambassador to Morocco Clive Alderton and his family at the Fez Festival

Undoubtably Morocco and the UK will forge new ties. Back in 2014, the then UK Ambassador to Morocco, Clive Alderton, summed up the relationship succinctly when he said "The Morocco/UK relationship has come a long way in its 800 year old history. That is no surprise: as Monarchies, we are used to planning for the very long term. While the rapid pace of change in the 21st Century imposes new risks and challenges, it also offers vast new opportunities. We have overhauled our relationship to ensure it is fit for purpose to meet these challenges, rediscovering old friendships and making new ones along the way.”

To which one can only say, "InshAllah".

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New UK Ambassador to Morocco Appointed

The British Foreign Office has appointed Karen Elizabeth Betts as the new Ambassador of the UK to Morocco. The British diplomat succeeds Clive Alderton who has been based in Rabat since December 2012

Ms Betts currently serves as Counsel at the Embassy of Great Britain in Washington, USA , where she is responsible for foreign and security policy. She joined the Foreign Office in 2001. Betts was also a national security adviser to the British government.

The diplomat is expected to take up her post in Rabat in September. Betts has also been named as  non-resident Ambassador of the United Kingdom in Mauritania.

Former Ambassador  Clive Alderton, returns to London for the post of Private Secretary to the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall.

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Will Morocco's Second Language, French, Eventually Give Way To English?

The BBC has an interesting story on the continued push for English in Morocco. The report claims that English speaking in Morocco on the increase.

Despite being independent from France for almost 50 years, French is still widely spoken in Morocco - it's the country's second official language behind Arabic. The lack of English programmes at festivals and the paucity of information for tourists in English is seen as hampering development.

But a change is coming, and with international companies demanding English speaking workers and a large youth population exposed to Western films and pop music is the appeal of speaking French waning?

Nora Fakim reports. (NOTE: The following video may not load on some smart phone and tablets)



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Master Musicians of Joujouka to open Glastonbury Festival

Our in-house music guru, Ibn Warraq, reports that the Moroccan group, the Master Musicians of Joujouka, from the village of Zahjouka just north of Ksar El Kebir have been accorded the singular honour of opening one of the World’s biggest music festivals on June 24. 

 Opening the UK's Glastonbury Festival’s Pyramid Stage is an honour accorded to groups and artists of significance. Later that day the same stage will feature the legendary hip hop artists Wu Tang Clan, blues legend B.B. King, Morrissey and global superstars U2.

Photo: Jill Furmanovsky

At a time of turbulence in the Arab world these accolades are impressive for a group of musicians from a farming village in the North of Morocco. However, Zahjouka/Joujouka is no ordinary place or musical fraternity. Since the 1950s they have been feted by the Beat Generation after the Moroccan painter Mohamed Hamri (1932-2000) introduced the Beats to the music of his village. William Burroughs referenced them in his 1962 novel The Ticket that Exploded and in 1968 the founder of The Rolling Stones , Brian Jones, recorded the musicians of the village for the seminal LP “Brian Jones presents the Pipes of Pan at Joujouka” which was the first release on The Rolling Stone’s record label Rolling Stones Records in 1971.

The Glastonbury Festival which will take place June 24th – 26th in Somerset in the UK is one of the world’s biggest music festivals (like the legendary Woodford Festival in Australia) attracting 150,000 people for a weekend on a UK farm. The Master Musicians open the Festival its biggest Pyramid Stage on Friday 24 June and thereafter will play for three days and nights in their own area bringing Moroccan ritual music to a global audience.

Frank Rynne, who has managed the group since 1992 told The View from Fez,  “I first invited the musicians to an international festival in 1992 which honoured the Beat Generation writer William Burroughs and the painter Brion Gysin and featured the Moroccan painter Mohamed Hamri. Hearing this amazing music live is always a special event. Joujouka music utilises ancient forms and the musicians have incredible stamina.”

See more at Master Musicians of Joujouka website

Love in Morocco: Cheryl Fergison marries her Moroccan

The View from Fez ran a story in July last year (see it here) about the British actress Cheryl Fergison, who had found love in Morocco. The story engendered plenty of comments about the match. Now the UK's Mirror reports that the lovers have tied the knot.


It seems that 25-year-old Yassine al-Jermoni is a shop assistant in Agadir, rather than a goatherd as reported earlier. 46-year-old Cheryl, who appears in the BBC1 soapie Eastenders, 'met' Yassine in an internet chatroom and fell instantly in love.

Cheryl has been spending as much time as possible in Morocco, and the couple was secretly married in Agadir on 28 April. She now divides her time between Morocco and her home in Kent. Cheryl has bought an apartment in an upmarket part of Agadir, and last week flew to the coastal resort with her 12-year-old son Alex from a previous marriage. The apartment must be a big change for Yassine, who grew up in a rundown suburb.

Unfortunately, though, Yassine has no visa allowing him to move to the UK, so Cheryl has hired a ­solicitor to speed up the legal process. She has taken time off from ­EastEnders, where she earns €114,000 a year, to ­oversee Yassine’s visa application. It is believed that the couple are planning a UK ceremony with all Cheryl’s friends and ­family when Yassine finally moves here.

A neighbour at their Agadir apartment said: “Cheryl seems to have settled in well during her trips here. She goes out in the ­mornings to put the rubbish out and buy croissants from a local baker. Yassine’s a late riser and you don’t see much of him until mid-­afternoon.”

Cheryl stunned friends and colleagues last year when she revealed that she was going to marry the penniless Moroccan after just a few months ­together. Her previous marriage to ­Jamshed Saddiqi broke down in 2008. But she says she is positive that this marriage will last and that she’s met the man of her dreams.

In a previous interview she said: “I’ve never been so happy. I’ve found a bliss I didn’t know existed. I don’t think I’ve ever been in love until now.”

Speaking about how their romance flourished over the ­internet before she flew to ­Morocco to meet Yassine, ­Cheryl said: “I get a feeling about people, gut instincts... we just talked and talked for hours. I fell in love before we’d even met.”

Yassine, equally smitten, said when describing their first ­meeting: “It was amazing when I first laid eyes on my beautiful Cheryl.

“That was the most ­emotional day of my life.”

Cheryl sports a new silver wedding ring

photos: Mirror

Morocco sends the UK a sandy weekend !

BRITAIN basked in beach weather this weekend – rounded off with sandy rain. A storm in the Sahara four days ago sent sand over Fez and now we hear it has gone a lot further. The residue has arrived in the UK.

Sandy rain heads to the UK

The Moroccan sandstorm caused dust-laden showers which ended a current sunny spell. Met Office forecaster Helen Chivers explained: “There was quite a large sandstorm in Morocco, which meant a large amount of sand in the atmosphere. The cloud hit South-West England on Friday. There was a chance of showers in some parts on Sunday, so it may come down then.”

Meanwhile, some areas of Britain hit a glorious 21C yesterday – warmer than Istanbul, Athens, Rome or Los Angeles.

As one gardener in Scotland said, "Thanks to Morocco, I have a few more grains of sand in my garden and that has to be good for my drainage." Well, at least one man is happy!

However, snowboarders in the Cairngorms were divided on the benefits of having a little sand mixed with the snow.

A Moroccan Love Story?

Is there something in the Moroccan air? Something, maybe, in the water? Whatever it is it seems to be a powerful force when it comes to instant love. While there are many stories that could be told, our Celeb Affairs Editor, Amanda Huntingdon-Smyth, takes up the story of a love affair in Agadir, that has tongues wagging across the UK.

She is 46. He is 21. She is a well known British soap opera star and he is a virtually penniless Moroccan goatherd. According to various media reports (RTE, News of the World et al) Eastenders' star, Cheryl Fergison is to wed a Moroccan goatherd Yassim al-Jemoni "after romping with him in a field".

The happy couple.

Divorcee Cheryl, who plays the dimwitted Heather Trott in the soap and is described by her friends as being diabetic and clinically obese, met Yassim on a social networking site. After a few Skype conversations she travelled to Morocco to meet him. Unable to spend private time in Yassim's parents apartment they spent time out amongst the goats and love was born!.

"It was electric," Cheryl says,"He made me feel like a woman."

Then, according to The News of the World, there was a second visit to Morocco at the end of June when Cheryl booked a luxurious villa for them both and revealed that she was a famous TV star in Britain.

The goatherd soon proposed to her, insisting it had nothing to do with her wealth. Smitten Cheryl was unsure at first but returned home to confide in friends that she'd found "the one". Well, good for him! Now, believe it or not the happy romping couple are to get married.

Will it end in smiles or tears? We'll keep you posted.

As promised here is the update: Moroccan Love Story Part 2

New low cost flights from the UK to Morocco

A new UK to Morocco low-cost air service with Air Arabia Maroc starts this week and is scheduled to be flying four times a week between Stansted and Casablanca.

Founded by Air Arabia, the new carrier has chosen Stansted as its first destination and will be using Airbus A320 aircraft on the route.

Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news