Brussels finances Morocco’s 5G, but bars high-risk suppliers

The European Commission has approved a maximum contribution of €148 million for Morocco under its 2026 action programme. This funding covers several sectors, including economic and social resilience, youth and digital transformation, according to the decision adopted on 29 July 2026.

Of this amount, €20 million is earmarked for the Programme to Support the Digital Partnership between the European Union and Morocco, or PAP-NUM. Planned for an indicative period of 72 months, this programme is intended to bring Moroccan rules closer to European standards, strengthen cybersecurity and support the development of digital infrastructure.

The initiative notably concerns 5G, very high-speed broadband in rural areas, submarine cables, data centres, sovereign cloud computing and artificial intelligence ecosystems. It also provides support for the capacities of the National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency, the National Commission for the Control of the Protection of Personal Data and the Directorate-General for the Security of Information Systems.

Brussels will not, however, directly finance the construction of infrastructure or the purchase of antennas. The annex devoted to the EU-Morocco digital partnership specifies that European aid will focus mainly on studies, project preparation and structuring, as well as regulatory adjustments and skills development. Additional funding may subsequently be mobilised through European investment and guarantee mechanisms.

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This intervention comes as 5G was officially launched in Morocco in November 2025. The kingdom is now seeking to expand its coverage, particularly in underserved areas, while integrating the deployment of the new networks into the Morocco Digital 2030 strategy.

Huawei and ZTE in the European crosshairs

A condition included in the programme could nevertheless influence the choice of equipment suppliers. The Commission states that no equipment from a supplier considered to pose a high risk may be financed by it or by its financial partners.

The Moroccan document does not directly name any company, but it refers to the European communication of 15 June 2023 on 5G network security. In that text, the Commission considers Huawei and ZTE to pose significantly greater risks than other 5G technology suppliers. It deems the decisions taken by several Member States to restrict or exclude these two Chinese groups from their networks justified.

This clause does not mean that Morocco is banning Huawei or ZTE. It applies only to equipment that would be financed by the European Commission or its partners under the programme. Moroccan operators therefore remain free to work with these suppliers on projects financed with their own resources or by other investors.

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For projects seeking to benefit from European support, however, the technological choice will be closely regulated. Through its financing, Brussels is no longer merely supporting Morocco’s digital transformation: it is also exporting its security policy and its restrictions on Chinese equipment suppliers.