The Moroccan parliament has decided to reconsider its relations with the European Parliament and subject them to a comprehensive assessment to take appropriate and firm decisions, following the recent positions issued by the European Parliament towards Morocco.

This was stated in a joint statement that the speaker of the House of Representatives, Rachid Talbi Alami, and the chairman of the Council of Advisors, Naam Mayara, read at the conclusion of a plenary session on Monday afternoon.

The parliament also decided to inform the presidency of the European Parliament of the minutes of this meeting, including the positions and interventions made by the chairmen and representatives of parliamentary groups and non-affiliated parliamentarians during this meeting, and also to inform the presidency of the European Parliament of the decisions to be taken later.

The EU Parliament’s vote on a recommendation dated January 19, 2023, which was the most recent development in the biased campaign against Morocco, was denounced by the kingdom’s parliament.

Indeed, this recommendation is perceived with great surprise and indignation, as it has destroyed the level of trust between the Moroccan and European legislative institutions and has touched the heart of positive accumulations that have taken several decades to achieve.

The Moroccan Parliament regrets that the European Parliament has given in to some hostile parties in its midst and dragged it into their misleading campaign aimed at an old and credible partner, which plays major roles in the protection of rights and freedoms and the defense of regional and international peace and security, and which is regarded as a pillar of stability and a pillar of good relations and understanding between peoples, civilizations and cultures.

In the light of this serious deviation of an institution that assumes sobriety and the ability to distinguish between facts and sophistry, and to work to consolidate the supremacy of principles and the preservation of rights and legislations, in full respect of the sovereignty of partner countries, the Parliament of the Kingdom of Morocco, with all its components, strongly condemns the hostile attempts to undermine the interests and image of Morocco, as well as the distinguished and long-standing relations between Morocco and the European Union, based on common values and principles, and mutual interests.

Moreover, it considers the recommendation of the European Parliament as an unacceptable encroachment on its competences and powers, and an unacceptable encroachment on its sovereignty, inviolability and independence of its judicial institutions, expressing its absolute rejection of the tendencies of trusteeship or of receiving lessons from any party, whatever the level of the relations it maintains with the kingdom

For its part, the Moroccan parliament, all components and all political tendencies, expresses its disappointment at the negative attitude and unconstructive role played, during the discussions in the European Parliament and consultations on the draft recommendation hostile to our country, by some political groups belonging to a country that is a historical partner of Morocco. It deplores these attitudes and practices which have nothing to do with the honesty and sincerity required by the spirit of partnership.

The statement stressed that the Parliament of the kingdom of Morocco does not need to reaffirm the kingdom’s commitment to human rights as internationally recognized, as the kingdom is distinguished in its regional environment by the dynamism of its civil society, the vitality of its media arena, the credibility of its institutions and independent mechanisms effective in the field of the rights of individuals and groups, as well as its active commitment to relevant international charters, and its progress, with all its will, in consolidating and strengthening the state of institutions, law and law, within the framework of multiparty and political, and freedom of opinion and expression.

It is noted that the Moroccan parliament is concerned with preserving rights and freedoms and the means for their full exercise, by exercising legislative power, voting on laws, monitoring government action and evaluating public policies.

The Moroccan parliament also reaffirms its competence to legislate in areas such as the fundamental rights and freedoms stipulated in the Foreword and the chapters of the Kingdom’s Constitution for the year 2011, foremost among which are the protection of the human rights system, the promotion and contribution to development, taking into account the universal nature of these rights and their indivisibility

Recalling that the Moroccan parliament is a key actor in many parliamentary, regional, regional and international organizations and enjoys membership in them, he emphasizes that no partner institution has ever exceeded its competencies and dared to a sovereign state and its institutions and interfered in its internal affairs, but is committed to respecting its independence and consolidating mutual Institutional Trust.

The Moroccan parliament stressed that it has always been a space for dialogue and multidimensional communication, as it has hosted many multilateral conferences and public and thematic meetings, internationally, Continental and regional, centered on current issues such as the fight against terrorism, the defense of peace, democracy, migration, human rights, the environment, the integration of youth in development, equality between men and women and others, and considers that many joint parliamentary projects and programs between the two institutions are now the subject of question and accountability in light of the recent recommendation of the European Parliament, as parliamentary coordination in several axes and issues, raises the problem of trust, is the European Parliament still A strategic partner of the Moroccan parliament.

The Kingdom’s parliament, expressed its rejection of the exploitation and politicization of cases that are the core competence of the criminal judiciary and fall within the scope of issues of public right, in which judicial verdicts have been issued on charges that are not at all related to any journalistic activity or the exercise of freedom of opinion and expression, but relate to crimes such as trafficking in human beings, sexual abuse and exploitation of the vulnerability of people, punishable by the laws of various countries of the world. In this regard, the Moroccan parliament stresses the need to respect the inviolability and independence of the Moroccan judiciary, which has always been keen to provide the conditions and components of a fair trial.

“The decision of the European Parliament has undermined the foundations of trust and cooperation between the Moroccan parliament and the European Parliament, and affected the positive accumulations achieved over decades of joint work, at a time when we were all looking forward to new and promising prospects in relations between the two institutions for greater efficiency and coordination in the common interest of our peoples,”the statement added.

The Moroccan parliament considered that the recommendation of the European Parliament denied all institutional mechanisms for dialogue and coordination, which were specifically created to be a space for dialogue and comprehensive and frank discussion within the framework of partnership and mutual respect; thus, it emptied them of their content and lost their meaning, and disregarded the contents and decisions of bilateral and multilateral meetings, and the tireless efforts of the Morocco-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee, since its establishment in October 2010, which concretely dedicated the parliamentary dimension of the partnership between Morocco and the European Union, and she played an important role in strengthening and institutionalizing relations between the two parliaments Moroccan and European.

In the end, the Moroccan parliament called on European political forces to show wisdom and sobriety and to reject the deliberate confusion between the human rights protected in Morocco by the Constitution, laws and institutions, on the one hand, and the discredited allegations promoted by some parties and organizations known for their hostile positions towards Morocco, on the other.

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For the first time in twenty-five years, a resolution criticizing Morocco’s human rights status was rejected this week in the European Parliament in Strasbourg. We anticipated the blow before witnessing it. Things have been getting ready ever since Sebta’s June 2021 resolution on migration, followed by Josep Borrell’s recent remarks on human rights in Rabat. But we must be careful not to err. The role of France in this situation is clear, and the European Parliament is just a vehicle. It is by no means a “conspiracy,” but rather a genuine conflict for power in which all force should be prohibited, yet…

The hand of “our friend France” is seen in multiple ways in this European parliamentary matter, employing alternately the Strasbourg institution and Belgium as a tool. Here, it is necessary to acknowledge a certain mastery of the art of manipulation, with Belgium constantly at the forefront. The small country is mentioned in the European Parliament vice-charge, president’s just as it was in another Franco-Moroccan case involving Imam Iquioussen, in which Belgium supported France. And more…

Let’s go back to the resolution from this week’s European Parliament. It was started by a number of organizations, including Renew and the Greens/EFA. President Macron’s French Renaissance party, chaired by one of his men-lige, Stéphane Séjourné, is a key part of the group Renew. As the game progresses, uncertainties are confirmed. Two French MEPs from the Greens/EFA, Karima Delli and Salima Yenbou, made a name for themselves in Morocco’s regular denunciation.

All of this is good, but the people who presented the draft resolution did not include any French MEPs, despite the fact that they rose to defend it in the niche. Instead, they were elected officials from Eastern Europe. Concealing oneself is a skill.

The authors of this resolution wrote a four-all-all text that passes everything without regard for the cases they are supposed to defend, including the Pegasus case, the Rif, women’s rights, torture, trade restrictions on high-tech goods, the “Hirak,” freedoms, and the highly critical Spanish journalist Ignacio Cembrero of Morocco. And all of this is included in a paragraph that is unusually brief by Strasbourg parliament standards.

Morocco is the objective, and we use every tool and weapon at our disposal to attack: Aziz Akhannouch is charged with trying to commit corruption (in the early 2010s!) by José Bové. Pegasus appeared to scare elected authorities and the European public, the French public service media are approaching, and the Moroccan ambassador to Poland is accused of bribing Brussels’ elected officials. No one speaks out against France, however, and a well-known lobbyist in the Strasbourg Parliament who, according to the CNDP, distributes video surveillance photographs of visa applicants to its 7 centers in Morocco every five minutes to foreign governments. A DGSE? Ignacio Cembrero asserts that she was most likely the catalyst for the 2014 Moroccan Wikileaks.
Official France under President Macron is actually upset with Morocco and is using other European ire against the country to better condemn it because of the country’s complete lack of support for the conflict in Ukraine. What is causing Paris to be so furious with Rabat? The geopolitical reorientation of the kingdom away from the remnants of the French sphere of influence and toward the USA/Israel bloc, as well as the gradual, low-key defrancisation of Moroccan society and the economy.

The services provided (by Lydec and others) won’t be renewed in 2026, French companies that hoped to escape with this massive project have been barred from using the deep-water port of Dakhla, Moroccan capital is starting to replace French capital in the banking sector (Crédit du Maroc for now), and English is gradually replacing French everywhere. The French presence in Africa was destroyed by Emmanuel Macron, who was also forced to leave the Sahel and jostle in Central Africa.

In their erstwhile colonial authority, the former colonies no longer recognize themselves. The relationship between the king of Morocco and Mr. Macron does not flow, and even the formal visit that was planned to take place before March 2023 appears to be jeopardized by this European Parliament resolution.
The resolution fails and is rejected, with the exception of the eternal ones who look forward to texts like these and who only see their nation through the eyes of Europeans. The two Houses of Parliament will convene to discuss this at the beginning of the week, but little will be accomplished other than probably a text as uninteresting as that of Strasbourg. Because in Morocco, where Europe is concerned, major decisions regarding its direction are made outside of parliament. The postponing of Emmanuel Macron’s visit to our gates once more and a more pronounced economic and military anchorage to other domains are two examples of how they will be binding without drums or trumpets.

Despite history and geography, Morocco needs to recognize that the EU is not and never has been its friend because a friend only makes suggestions and does not impose anything. The same EU is closing the loop by beginning to severely alienate Morocco after destroying its links with Russia to the north, Turkey to the east, and the United Kingdom to the west, all of which were more or less at the behest of France. The true means of self-defense—economic, political, social, legal, and judicial—will have to be provided by the latter.

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On January 19, the European Parliament passed a resolution addressing “the condition of journalists in Morocco, specifically the case of Omar Radi.”

The text was approved with 356 votes in favor, 32 votes against, and 42 abstentions. It demands that all detained journalists in Morocco be released “immediately,” citing in particular Omar Radi, who was sentenced to 6 years in prison after winning an appeal, Soulaiman Raissouni (5 years), and Taoufik Bouachrine (15 years).

Officials have spoken out against a planned “media attack based on allegations that our country is taking steps to influence European decisions, especially within the European Parliament, on topics related to the Kingdom (Moroccan Sahara, trade agreements, human rights, etc.),” according to a statement.

The journalists in question are all serving time for sexual assault charges brought against them by Moroccan civilian victims, with Radi’s case being the most recent, still undergoing judicial procedure.

According to the same source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, “Morocco, like all countries, has always defended its interests in the context of its relations with its various foreign partners,” and “Morocco’s achievements are what bother some parties and provoke inappropriate and incomprehensible reactions/maneuvers.”

According to the official, the intention is to “slow down the good dynamics seen in the collaboration between Morocco and the EU. The Kingdom has previously been the target of assaults meant to undermine and delegitimize the ruling party within the European Parliament.

He added that Morocco does not accept this hostile and unjustifiable political media campaign, saying “Morocco has become a target of certain parties functioning within the European Parliament in the service of a secret purpose.”

Prior to the voting, Lahcen Haddad, the chairman of the Morocco-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee, denounced the draft resolution and said its goal was to meddle with Morocco’s judicial system.

The resolution interferes with an existing judicial proceeding, which is contrary to the fundamental values of human rights and sovereignty, according to Haddad, who noted that this is “a matter still in trial before an independent judiciary of a partner country.”

Haddad recalled that “several parties have sought to have people believe, in the name of human rights, that this person (Radi) has been unjustly and arbitrarily imprisoned for his opinions, when in reality he is a detainee by virtue of common law as he is accused of rape” in a letter sent to MEPs on behalf of the Moroccan Commission members.

Haddad stated that Morocco has “since 2016 purged the press code (the law on the rights of journalists) of prison sentences for journalists and that the conditions of a fair trial were upheld, that the arrest procedures complied with the law’s provisions on criminal procedure, and that the defense requests were granted by the Judges.

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