The beginning of King Mohammed VI's reign in July 1999 marked a major shift towards more cooperation, comprehension and partnership.

With the inauguration of the European Neighbourhood Policy and of the Union for the Mediterranean, Morocco and the EU have drafted and adopted an ENP Action Plan in July 2005, delineating the next steps of cooperation.

With the Advanced Status granted to Morocco on 13 October 2008, the partnership acquired a high-level political cooperation level.

The two sides recently announced plans to extend their Free Trade Agreement to cover not only goods, but also agriculture and services, giving Morocco almost the same deal with Europe as member states have with each other.

[5][6][7][8] In 2024, the Court of Justice of the European Union issued a ruling that annulled EU-Morocco trade agreements on fisheries and agricultural products because they included Western Sahara.

[10] On 19 January 2023, the European Parliament condemned Morocco for the first time in 25 years, as it called on the country to respect media freedom and to release all political prisoners and jailed journalists, notably the case of Omar Radi.

In the period 1996–2006 Morocco received financing totalling approximately €15 million under horizontal EU budget lines, in particular Meda democracy, the environment, LIFE, the ECIP, the fight against AIDS, NGO cofinancing, and the fight against drugs, plus €10 million under the budget lines for the 5th and 6th Framework Research, Technology and Development Programmes, in which more than 160 Moroccan teams participated.

The agreement constitutes a "roadmap" which widens the sphere of EU-Morocco bilateral relations by setting out new objectives in three main areas: closer political relations, with the holding of a periodic EU-Morocco summit and the establishment of consultation mechanisms at ministerial level; integration of the single market on the basis of gradual adoption of the Community acquis and sectoral cooperation; and a focus on the human dimension.

[26] Abbas El Fassi, Van Rompuy and Barroso presented to the press the results of the summit, commending the event which heralds a new era in the privileged and strategic partnership.

The Granada summit between the European Union and Morocco concluded with a positive assessment of the development of their relations and with the commitment to build on their political, economic and social aspect, as well as to begin a process of reflection on their future 'contractual' form.

On bilateral partnership, the joint declaration sets concrete measures to consolidate achievements and an operational agenda for the future, as part of the advanced status which specifies the relation between Morocco and the EU.

The summit also addressed the state of EU–Morocco relations and future developments, as well as other subjects of common interest such as the legal status of Western Sahara, the situation in the Maghreb and the Sahel, and the Union for the Mediterranean.

Illegal immigration and terrorism have already replaced issues on the agenda that were important before, such as trade (i.e. agriculture and fishing) and drug trafficking.

Starting in 2000, Moroccan and EU authorities have been keen to work together more closer with intelligence sharing and border control cooperation.

[28] It originated due to a deterioration in diplomatic relations between the Moroccan monarchy and the Government of Spain, after the latter admitted the transfer of the main representative of the Saharawi independence movement Polisario Front to a Spanish hospital in La Rioja, in April 2021.