Global Arab Network | Morocco, EU sign € 580 million cooperation programme

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Morocco, EU sign € 580 million cooperation programme

Tuesday, 13 July 2010 21:08

The EU and Morocco have signed the 2011-2013 National Indicative Programme (NIP) worth €580.5 million (more than 6.3 billion dirhams) over three years, which defines the strategic priorities and financial commitments for the period.

The cooperation programme was signed by the Minister of Economy and Finance Salaheddine Mezouar and EU Head of Delegation Eneko Landaburu. Pledging the EU’s support, the Ambassador said, “Morocco’s ambition in the fields of development, modernisation and democracy are in line with its process of rapprochement with the European Union, as expressed in the advanced status roadmap.”

With an overall budget that remains the highest in the neighbourhood, the five priority areas identified in Morocco’s NIP are:

* Development of social policies;
* Economic modernisation;
* Institutional support;
* Good governance and human rights;
* Environmental protection.

Projects funded range from agriculture to health, gender equality to housing.

The year 2009 was an important year that saw the strengthening of the partnership between the EU and Morocco within the framework of the Advanced Status, agreed in October 2008 and setting out an ambitious roadmap for the progressive and sustained development of bilateral relations. Positive results were achieved, especially in the area of political dialogue, and two out of the four ongoing bilateral negotiations were finalised in 2009 – those on the settlement of commercial disputes and on trade in agricultural, processed agricultural and fishery products.

The EU-Morocco Summit held in March 2010 in Grenada – the first ever between the EU and an Arab country – crowned a year that had been rich in achievements. The challenge for 2010 is to translate into concrete achievements the many commitments made within the framework of the Advanced Status, in particular in bringing regulatory frameworks closer and in implementing the many reforms announced, especially the justice reform launched in 2009, which is essential both to strengthen the state of law, and to improve the business climate.

The EU is Morocco’s first trading partner (accounting for 58% of all of its commercial exchanges in 2008). The impact of the economic crisis in Europe led to a 22.6% reduction of Moroccan imports to the EU in 2009, while imports from the EU fell by 17.6%, compared to 2008.

Global Arab Network

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