U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 

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29–011 2004

108th Congress, 2d Session – – – – – – – – – – – – House Document 108–201 

THE UNITED STATES-MOROCCO FREE TRADE 

AGREEMENT 

MESSAGE 

FROM

THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES 

TRANSMITTING

A DRAFT OF PROPOSED LEGISLATION AND SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS TO IMPLEMENT THE UNITED STATES-MOROCCO FREE 

TRADE AGREEMENT (FTA) 

E:\Seals\Congress.#13 

JULY 19, 2004.—Message and accompanying papers referred to the 

Committee on Ways and Means and ordered to be printed 

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To the Congress of the United States: 

I am pleased to transmit legislation and supporting documents 

prepared by my Administration to implement the United StatesMorocco Free Trade Agreement (the ‘‘Agreement’’ or the ‘‘FTA’’). 

This Agreement enhances our bilateral relationship with a longstanding partner in the North Africa and Middle East region. The 

Agreement will benefit the people of the United States and Morocco, illustrating to other developing countries the advantages of 

open markets. 

This Agreement is a strong demonstration of my Administration’s commitment to opening markets, leveling the playing field, 

and expanding opportunities for American workers, manufacturers, 

businesses, farmers, and consumers. In negotiating this Agreement, my Administration was guided by the negotiating objectives 

set out in the Trade Act of 2002. The Agreement will expand Morocco’s market for U.S. manufactured goods, agricultural products, 

services, and investment. As soon as this Agreement enters into 

force, tariffs will be eliminated on virtually all manufactured goods 

traded between our countries. 

The Agreement provides U.S. producers of beef, poultry, wheat, 

corn, soybeans, and other agriculture products with increased access to Morocco’s market, while complementing Morocco’s agriculture reform program. In addition, the Agreement provides the 

opportunity for U.S. producers to adjust to increased imports from 

Morocco, if necessary. 

New opportunities for U.S. services firms will be opened, U.S. investments will be protected, and U.S. companies will be able to 

participate in government procurement opportunities on the same 

basis as Moroccan firms. This Agreement has some of the strongest 

intellectual property protections ever contained in a U.S. trade 

agreement with a developing country. 

The United States and Morocco have agreed to cooperate on environment and labor issues and to establish mechanisms supporting 

those efforts. Negotiation of this Agreement has promoted adoption 

of a new labor law in Morocco. This Agreement has also helped 

lead to improved domestic environmental laws in Morocco, and a 

number of additional cooperative projects have been identified for 

future work. 

The approval of this Agreement will be another important step 

in implementing our plan for a broader Middle East Trade Area. 

Indeed, this Agreement offers the United States an opportunity to 

encourage economic reform in a moderate Muslim nation, as we 

have done with the Jordan FTA and the recently concluded Bahrain FTA. Leaders in Morocco support a reformist and tolerant vision that includes free parliamentary elections, the sale of stateowned businesses, the encouragement of foreign investment that 

can be connected to broad-based development, and better protection 

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of the rights of women and workers. It is strongly in the interests 

of the United States to embrace these reforms and do what we can 

to encourage them. Passing this Agreement is a critical step in that 

direction. 

GEORGE W. BUSH. 

THE WHITE HOUSE, July 15, 2004. 

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