Barriers in the services sector have been falling as Morocco conforms to its WTO engagements. In November 1989, parliament abrogated a 1973 law requiring majority Moroccan ownership of firms in a wide range of industries, thus eliminating what had been a barrier to U.S. investment in Morocco. In 1993, the Moroccan Government repealed a 1974 decree limiting foreign ownership in the petroleum refining and distribution sector, which allowed Mobil Oil to buy back the government's 50 percent share of Mobil's Moroccan subsidiary in 1994. Foreign companies cannot acquire a majority stake in firms in the insurance sector. These apply primarily to packaging, metallurgy and construction.
Sanitary regulations apply to virtually all food imports.
Meat should be slaughtered according to Islamic law. The government does not require locally registered firms to apply ISO 9000 usage. The use of the metric system is mandatory. The government actively encourages foreign investment. The parliament passed a new investment code in 1995 which applies equally to foreign and Moroccan investors, except for the foreign exchange provisions which favor foreign investors.