Friday, March 3, 2023 at 9:14 PM
Paris – The visit to the Kingdom of the European Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, reaffirms the strong relationship between Morocco and the European Union (EU), and this in a clear manner, said Emmanuel Dupuy, President of the Institute for Prospective and Security in Europe (IPSE), think tank based in Paris.
“The relationship is reaffirmed in an ostensible way” and comes in response to certain hostile voices, observed the French expert in geopolitics and geostrategy, in a statement to MAP, pointing to the latest resolution of the European Parliament against the Kingdom.
Emphasizing the importance of the signing, on the occasion of Mr. Várhelyi’s visit, of cooperation programs in various fields for an envelope of 5.5 billion DH, Mr. Dupuy underlined that this significant financing will make it possible to support the development and economic transformation of the Kingdom and the African continent.
He also highlighted the “Global Gateway”, this European investment which puts Africa at the heart of its strategy and aims to mobilize up to 300 billion euros of investment between 2021 and 2027 to support a recovery. sustainable world, noting that this is also part of the dynamic cooperation between Morocco and the EU.
And to note that Morocco, a haven of peace and stability, plays a “great pivotal role” in EU investments on the African continent.
The expert also recalled that the Morocco-EU partnership is part of a long line of bilateral cooperation, with the EU-Morocco association agreement, which was signed in 1996 and entered into force in 2000, with the reaffirmation of the structuring nature of this relationship with the advanced status between the EU and Morocco in 2008.
The last milestone in the relationship being the structuring part that Morocco must play in the new agenda for the Mediterranean, which was adopted by the EU on February 9, 2021, particularly in terms of ecological transition, digital transition and migration management. , he noted.
The President of the Institute for Foresight and Security in Europe also emphasized the symbolism of the large Austrian delegation, which visited the Kingdom on February 27, stressing that it comes to commemorate hundreds years of diplomatic relations between Morocco and Austria.
Morocco and the European Union signed, Thursday in Rabat, 5 cooperation programs for a total amount of nearly 500 million euros – M€ to support the major reform projects in the Kingdom.
Signed by the Minister Delegate to the Minister of Economy and Finance, in charge of the Budget, Fouzi Lekjaa, and European Commissioner Várhelyi, the 5 cooperation programs concern social protection, green transition, administrative reform management, migration management and financial inclusion.
