Madrid Convention
The Madrid Convention was concluded on July 3, 1880 at the Madrid Conference between the Sultan of Morocco and various European states and the USA . It guaranteed the Sultan of Morocco the sovereignty of the country, but also forced him to make various concessions to the powers involved.
background
The background for the agreement was the increasing French influence on Morocco from 1830. France , and in some cases Great Britain and Spain, secured certain privileges through treaties with Morocco.
This met with resistance from other powers. For this reason the Madrid Conference took place in 1880. There the general freedom of trade with the North African country should be secured.
content
Participants in the conference were: USA , German Empire , Austria-Hungary , Belgium , Denmark , Spain , France , Great Britain , Italy , Netherlands , Portugal , Sweden , Norway and Morocco .
The conference concluded the 18 article Madrid Convention. In it the states guaranteed the sovereignty of the sultan.
With the signing of the Madrid Convention, Morocco was regarded as a country open to international trade (“open door policy”).
Among other things, the rights of foreigners and their local employees (“protected persons”) were regulated. It also clarified the right of foreigners to buy property in the country with the Sultan's permission.
In particular, Morocco had to grant traders in the signatory states market access in accordance with the most-favored nation principle .
consequences
In the long run, the convention could not prevent France and Spain from increasing their influence in Morocco. The German Reich saw its interests threatened here. This led to the Morocco crisis of 1905/06 , which was settled by the Algeciras conference .
literature
- Dictionary of International Law Vol. 1, Aachen Congress - Hussar Fall. Berlin / New, York: Walter de Gruyter, 1960 ISBN 978-3-11-001030-5 p. 27 Partial digitization
