Morocco - eligible for Millennium Challenge Account
The only one new country selected to be eligible for the Millennium Challenge Account for 2005 is Morocco. Morocco performed above the median in relation to its peers on at least half of the indicators in each of the three policy categories and above the median on the corruption indicator specifically. Although Morocco was substantially below average on one economic indicator -- Trade Policy --the Board decided that a positive eligibility determination was nonetheless justified based on positive trends and concrete actions taken by the Government of Morocco that were not fully reflected in the "point in time" indicator data. Since 2000, Morocco has made significant efforts to liberalize its trade policy. Furthermore, in addition to the EU Agreement, which calls for the removal of all non-agricultural tariffs on trade between the two areas by 2012, Morocco recently concluded free trade agreements with the Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and the United States. These agreements put Morocco in a select group of countries that have negotiated among the most liberal market access for goods and services and the highest standards of trade and investment rules.