From Brussels to Rabat: How Do Climate Change and Environmental Awareness Circulate between the EU and Its Southern Neighbor

“Fighting climate change and protecting the environment” is one of the “first priority areas” (EU, European Climate Pact, 2024) for the European Union (UE). This is a question affecting not only domestic politics, but also foreign action. The EU claims to contribute to fight climate change “at global level through both domestic action and international cooperation” (EU, Climate Action, 2021). By trying to set new international agendas, priorities and rules, the UE looks for an increasing environment-friendly identity and practices also among its neighbors. How does the EU translate “environmental problems” and “needed actions” to its international partners? How do these partners introduce these ideas when constructing their public discourses? What ideas, norms and arguments are incorporated into the ‘national’ discourse and what are ignored or reformulated? This paper describes how EU climate discourse and norm-building influence its neighbors. To do so, we focus on the Moroccan case. The Morocca case is interesting because Rabat is not only promoting its own model of sustainable energy, but also a key partner to the EU and although its economic links are stable with Brussels, it is showing a growing discursive disconnection.