Over 120 leading French figures are set to accompany French President Emmanuel Macron on his first state visit to Morocco from Monday, October 28, to Wednesday, October 30, according to a non-exhaustive list released by the Elysée Palace. In addition to nine ministers – including those overseeing the economy, foreign affairs, interior, defense and higher education – around 40 business leaders will be on board the presidential plane scheduled to land in Rabat late Sunday afternoon. They include TotalEnergies' Patrick Pouyanné, CMA CGM's Rodolphe Saadé, Engie's Catherine MacGregor, Safran's Ross McInnes, Alstom's Henri Poupart-Lafarge and Suez's Sabrina Soussan.

After a two-year diplomatic crisis between Paris and Rabat, Macron's visit, at the invitation of King Mohammed VI, should cement the French-Moroccan rapprochement and "ensure greater complementarity through joint projects," according to the Elysée. Several agreements and partnerships will be signed in two phases: on Monday evening, right after a one-on-one meeting between the two heads of state, and the following day, after a round of business meetings.

Le Monde has learned one of the most important accords will be a bilateral agreement in the energy sector. Its preparation has been entrusted to Gérard Mestrallet, the president's special envoy for the Europe-Asia integration logistics corridor project.

After months of negotiations, Engie is also expected to formalize a multi-billion euro agreement with a major Moroccan group in renewable energies, green hydrogen and desalination. Engie's MacGregor, who was born in Morocco and is close to the head of state, visited the country numerous times over the past year, playing an active role in improving ties between Paris and Rabat, according to a diplomatic source. The Elysée views decarbonization as "one of the cornerstones" of France's relationship with Morocco.

Two other heavyweights, Alstom and Airbus, whose names came up repeatedly in the run-up to Macron's visit, are also being backed by the Elysée, although they could sign deals after the visit. Alstom is in the running to produce and deliver 168 trains to Morocco's National Railways Office.

For this contract worth around €1.5 billion, the French manufacturer is neck-and-neck with Spanish and Chinese competitors. Meanwhile, Airbus, in which the French state holds an 11% stake, is competing with the American manufacturer Boeing to supply Royal Air Maroc with some of the 188 new aircraft the airline aims to add to its fleet by 2037.

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