The European Union has once more emphasized in its report 2022 how crucial it is to make sure that the people living in the southern regions of the kingdom fully benefit from the agreements reached between Rabat and Brussels and their favorable effects on the socioeconomic development of these regions.

The publication of this annual report, by the European Commission and the European External Action Service, is a requirement of the agreement in the form of a letter exchange amending Protocols 1 and 4 of the Morocco-EU Association Agreement, also known as the “agricultural agreement,” which became effective on July 19, 2019.

As in previous years, the positive tone of this report, which details the various aspects of the benefits of this agreement for the inhabitants of the southern regions of the kingdom, reflects the quality of the existing partnership between Morocco and the European Union, and testifies to the satisfactory implementation of the agricultural agreement, particularly through the mechanisms of dialogue and exchange of information existing between the two parties.

• Positive effects on socio-economic development

This report confirms the upward trends for the year 2021, in terms of trade between the two parties, thanks to the agreement and the customs preferences enjoyed by Moroccan products, including products from the southern regions, for export to the European Union, making them more competitive and attractive.

The report affirms the agreement’s beneficial effects on economic growth, the production and export of agricultural and fisheries products, the creation of jobs and investment opportunities, and the socioeconomic development of the Moroccan Sahara regions and its inhabitants.

The main finding is that, as a result of ongoing growth, the Moroccan Sahara regions have now established themselves as a true center of prosperity and investment within the context of a win-win partnership with the European Union.

The roughly 30-page document emphasizes the significant development of the kingdom’s southern regions under the “Development Program 2016-2021” through the implementation of balanced projects and various public policies in these regions. It also emphasizes the results of the actions taken and their cascading effects on investment, bettering working conditions, integrating women into society economically, firmly supporting youth, and building infrastructure.

• Major efforts and huge investments

The report also shows that the Commission and the European External Action Service acknowledge the kingdom’s tremendous efforts in its southern regions to use natural resources in a reasonable and sustainable manner (Dakhla port project, seawater desalination plant project, program to combat desertification …). The report also highlights the sizeable national investments made in the renewable energy industry, the region’s electricity generation, and the growth of new industrial activities that modernize employment opportunities.

As part of its holistic solution, the report notes that numerous economic actors and members of civil society, including non-governmental organizations active in the area’s human rights sector, have emphasized the agreement’s critical importance, its successful implementation, and its favorable effects on the socioeconomic development of the Moroccan Sahara regions.

The authors of the report emphasize that “The agreement is implemented in a fair manner. The systems for efficient implementation are still in place and working as intended. Information has been shared on a regular basis and with a cooperative attitude. The exchange system, which provides information on product exports on a monthly basis, is effective and hasn’t created any problems for researchers “He said.

They claim that in order to ensure the proper implementation of the agreement, the European Commission and the Moroccan authorities have a productive dialogue and frequent contact.

• Significant achievements in the field of human rights

In order to review all areas, the European executive and the European External Action Service highlighted Morocco’s important efforts and achievements in the field of human rights at the national level, and its active role at the multilateral level, as evidenced by its election as a member of the Human Rights Council for the period between 2023 and 2025. It recalls the regular dialogue between Morocco and the European Union in the framework of the Sub-Commission on Human Rights, Democracy and Governance, as well as the important role played by the regional human rights commissions of Dakhla and Laayoune, which was reaffirmed in the recent Security Council resolution.

Regarding the national issue, the document recalls EU backing for the UN-led process and Staffan de Mistura’s efforts as the new personal envoy for the UN Secretary General. Additionally, it emphasizes the European Union’s willingness to support and strengthen regional cooperation.

• A striking statement for Algeria

This is a new strike by the European institutions against the propaganda of the opponents regarding the so-called “plundering” of the resources of the southern regions, since the report highlights the importance of this agreement for the southern regions, which contradicts the objective pursued by the opponents, namely to deprive the inhabitants of these regions of their right to development.

Therefore, it is yet another setback suffered by Algeria and the “Polisario,” who keep trying in vain to challenge the legitimacy of agreements between the EU and Morocco, which include the southern provinces. It also follows the London Administrative Court’s ruling rejecting their legal challenge to the partnership agreement between Morocco and the United Kingdom, which upheld the legality of this agreement, which benefits the population and permits the development of all Moroccan regions.

If Algeria is disappointed to receive a report that appears to be a final ruling of the complaint’s inadmissibility, this edition for 2022 attests once more to the continuity and stability of trade relations between Morocco and the EU as well as the continued commitment of the EU in the context of a comprehensive, strategic, and long-term partnership with Morocco.

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MFA Bourita stated at the opening of the “Forum of South-South Parliamentary Dialogue” of Senates and Equivalent Councils from Africa, the Arab World, Latin America, and the Caribbean, organized by the House of Advisors under the patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, that Morocco, as a United Nations member concerned with adhering to the principles of international law, will be resolutely committed to achieving the objectives of this initiative.

MFA Bourita also stated that the Kingdom of Morocco will make every possible effort to support any initiative aimed at strengthening this important aspect of parliamentary diplomacy, as well as mobilize its experience and capabilities to form an ambitious partnership to serve the peoples of these regions’ goals.

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He went on to say that many previous rapprochement or integration initiatives, in various forms, have demonstrated that their ability to achieve the desired goals is dependent on their avoidance of attempts to involve them in controversial issues that oppose their founders’ aspirations and objectives, turning them into a terrain of conflict and ideological alignment, and an attempt to win fictitious battles whose real parties have failed to promote them.

This forum, MFA Bourita noted, represents more than 2.2 billion people and brings together countries with a total GDP of more than $8,200 billion dollars. These countries have great potential for collaborative development, wealth creation, profitable investment, and commercial, technological, and cultural exchanges.

Morocco’s conviction is that the current and future challenges confronting the peoples of the South necessitate the adoption of a collective approach, based on the principle of common development, taking into account the needs and specificities of each country, and working to enhance its national efforts in the context of a participatory approach at the regional or provincial level, stated MFA Bourita, recalling that the process of reforms and major development paves the way for this.

Morocco occupies a special position at the regional and continental level, opening prospects for dialogue and cooperation with friendly and brotherly countries, particularly in Africa, the Arab world, Latin America, and the Caribbean, as a result of the experience it has accumulated in several strategic and vital sectors such as renewable energy, food security, sustainable exploitation of natural resources, as well as new technologies and pharmaceutical industries.

The Councils assembled today, by definition, include specialized skills and expertise, as well as professional and territorial representations capable of conveying the aspirations and concerns of citizens and the bodies they represent, which will have “a positive impact on the quality of initiatives and proposals that you will discuss in this forum, and give them a practical aspect capable of making them more feasible and traceable in the field.”

MFA Bourita emphasized that constructive dialogue and exchange of views between these institutions would bring together peoples and countries from regions that share deep human, cultural, and civilizational values, as well as develop mechanisms for integration, cooperation, and exchange of experiences and best practices in critical areas such as stimulating economic growth, increasing competitiveness, promoting social integration, and reducing disparities and improving governance.

In this sense, he expressed confidence that “this forum will contribute to the coordination of political positions in international forums on issues of common interest to the peoples of our regions, within the framework of full respect for the principles and customs of international law, including respect for countries’ sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

The Minister believed that parliamentary diplomatic work had become a parallel dimension to governmental diplomatic work, particularly in countries that have made the democratic path a strategic choice that values the constitutional competences entrusted to legislative institutions and recognizes them as an important actor in the strengthening of people-to-people cooperation and the promotion of global security and peace.

MFA Bourita also expressed his satisfaction with the accomplishments of various parliamentary gatherings in recent years, through joint action against the problems confronting the peoples of Africa and the Arab world, as well as the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean, in pace with the rapid changes and growing challenges that these regions are experiencing.

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