France and Morocco have signed 14 bilateral cooperation agreements during a high-level visit to Rabat by French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, formalising what the two governments are calling an "enhanced exceptional partnership" built on renewed trust after years of strained relations.
Lecornu co-chaired the 15th Morocco-France High-Level Meeting alongside Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch in Rabat, Morocco's capital. The agreements span a broad range of sectors, including the economy, security, migration, and defence. Among the specific deals were financing arrangements with the French Development Agency for the Rabat Regional Express Rail project, a loan agreement on water policy, and a draft framework on scientific cooperation. Lecornu also said France would seek to ease its visa policy to facilitate mobility for entrepreneurs and students — a point of contention in past years when visa restrictions had become a symbol of the bilateral chill.
The visit builds on a diplomatic reset that began in 2024, when President Emmanuel Macron formally backed Morocco's sovereignty claim over Western Sahara, a disputed territory in northwest Africa that Morocco has administered for decades but whose status remains contested internationally. Lecornu described the bilateral relationship as being at a "turning point", while Akhannouch said the partnership now rested on "a shared strategic vision, restored trust and common ambition". A key economic ambition is energy connectivity: a new joint project will explore commercially viable ways to export renewable electricity from Morocco to France, part of broader efforts to integrate North African clean energy into European supply chains.
However, the visit was overshadowed by fresh reporting from an international media consortium, led by Forbidden Stories, alleging that Morocco used the Israeli-made Pegasus spyware to surveil French officials during the period of heightened tensions — including, reportedly, Lecornu himself. Pegasus is sophisticated surveillance software that can be covertly installed on a smartphone to read messages, track location, and activate the device's camera and microphone. Morocco firmly rejected the allegations and demanded evidence, while the French foreign ministry did not immediately comment. The reports also alleged that France had itself explored acquiring the software. The two leaders, originally scheduled to hold a joint press conference, instead made only brief statements without taking questions.
The diplomatic stakes for both sides are significant. For France, closer economic ties with Morocco offer a chance to recover ground lost to competitors during the years of bilateral tension. For Morocco, the partnership provides access to French investment, technology, and political support. The energy cooperation dimension, in particular, signals that the relationship is being positioned within the wider European debate over energy security and the green transition — giving both countries strategic reasons to look past the turbulence that has tested their ties in recent years.