The French Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, is leading a high-profile delegation of twelve ministers to Rabat today for the 15th High-Level Meeting (HLM) between France and Morocco. This landmark gathering aims to reinvigorate the strategic partnership between the two nations.

The delegation includes key figures such as Laurent Nunez (Interior Minister), Catherine Vautrin (Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs), Roland Lescure (Minister of Economy, Finance, and Industrial, Energy, and Digital Sovereignty), Annie Genevard (Agriculture Minister), and Jean-Noël Barrot (Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs). Other notable members are Naïma Moutchou (Minister of Overseas Territories), Catherine Pégard (Minister of Culture), Philippe Tabarot (Minister of Transport), Sabrina Roubache (Minister of Vocational Education), Anne Le Hénanff (Minister Delegate for Artificial Intelligence and Digital), Nicolas Forissier (Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness), and Éléonore Caroit (Minister Delegate for Francophonie, International Partnerships, and French Abroad).

Joining the delegation are Senator Christian Cambon, President of the France-Morocco Friendship Group in the Senate, and Deputy Karim Ben Cheikh, who are scheduled to meet with the Presidents of both chambers of Morocco’s Parliament.

Strengthening bilateral ties through high-level dialogue

The 15th HLM is taking place at the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with both heads of government in attendance. This meeting revives a long-standing dialogue mechanism established in 1997, with the last edition held in Paris in December 2019.

This gathering follows the signing of the “Enhanced Exceptional Partnership” between King Mohammed VI and French President Emmanuel Macron in October 2024. The discussions will focus on reviewing ongoing projects and setting new priorities for bilateral cooperation.

The agenda covers critical areas such as domestic security, combating irregular migration, organized crime, drug trafficking, culture, agriculture, infrastructure, water management, public administration modernization, artificial intelligence, defense industries, and preparations for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

Economically, several high-impact projects are already underway, including the expansion of Safran Electronics & Defense’s industrial site and Alstom’s new production facility in Fès.

The two-day program features a bilateral meeting between the Prime Ministers, sector-specific ministerial discussions, a plenary session on shared priorities, and a concluding synthesis presented by the Foreign Affairs Ministers.

Landmark agreements expected to be signed

The meeting is expected to conclude with the signing of around fifteen agreements in strategic sectors, including decentralized cooperation, the Rabat Regional Express Rail (RER), water management, development of the Casablanca-Settat region, civil aviation, cinema, artist residencies, and the teaching of Arabic and geography in France’s education network.

This gathering also marks a significant step toward drafting a future Franco-Moroccan bilateral treaty, designed to solidify long-term cooperation ahead of King Mohammed VI’s upcoming state visit to France.