Board of House of Representatives Holds Weekly Meeting on Tuesday, June 2nd, 2020

The Board of the House of Representatives held its weekly meeting on Tuesday, June 2^nd, 2020, under the chairmanship of the Speaker of the House Habib El Malki. The meeting was devoted to topics related to the agenda of the House, Government control, and the relation of the House to some constitutional institutions.

At the beginning of the meeting, the Board members recalled the tragedy that marked Morocco as one of its iconic statesmen, Counselor Abderrahmane El Youssoufi passed away. The Board members reiterated the qualities of the deceased, and recalled his nationalist and activist positions, in addition to his contributions in different areas to building the country. Also, the participants expressed their pride in the content of the message of condolence sent by HM King Mohammed VI, may God protect Him, to the family of the deceased. The message reflected the Royal consideration for the departed, as it reiterated his human qualities and true patriotism, which, according to His Majesty, may God protect Him, he showed through decades of activism and political participation, marked with enormous sacrifices.

The participants later read Surah Al-Fatiha to honor the memory of the deceased.

Regarding the House's agenda, the Board members noted the importance of the meetings held by the standing committees during the last and ongoing weeks. These meetings were an occasion for the Social Sectors Committee, the Foreign Affairs, National Defense, Islamic Affairs, and Moroccan Expatriates Committee, the Education, Culture, and Communication Committee, the Infrastructure, Energy, Mining, and Environment Committee, the Public Finance Control Committee, and the Justice, Legislation, and Human Rights Committee to question the Ministers, according to their sectors, about their Ministries' measures to manage the social and economic aspects of the sanitary lockdown. The meetings were also a chance to review the situation of public services and the actions taken in their regard.

Concerning the preparations to examine the Amending Finance Bill, the House's Speaker presented the legal framework regulating this action in the Constitution, the Organic Law on the Finance Bill, and the House's Rules of Procedure. The Speaker reiterated the importance of this step in the House's works, considering the constraints and impacts of the current situation.

The Board members also discussed the most effective means to seize this legislative and control occasion to discuss the adopted choices and suggested projects further.

Also, the Speaker of the House noted that this bill is the first of its kind under the new Constitution of the Kingdom.

The participants have decided on the continuance of discussions between the House bodies to organize the House's works, considering the related time constraints, and the necessity for utilizing them efficiently.

About Government control, the House's Board has decided to convene the weekly plenary sitting devoted to oral questions on Monday, June 8^th, 2020. The sitting will tackle the sectors of tourism, handicrafts, air transportation, and social economy, under the format of questions followed by a debate. The Board of the House has also decided, in agreement with the Head of Government, to hold the monthly sitting devoted to general policy on Thursday, June 11^th, 2020. The sitting will tackle "the Government plan in anticipation of lifting the state of public health emergency."

As for diplomacy, and particularly concerning the celebration of World Africa Day, the Board noted the desperate attempts of some enemies of Morocco's territorial integrity within the Pan-African Parliament. These parties base their actions on erroneous information, in apparent infringement of the resolution issued by the ministers of foreign affairs in this regard.

The Board also highlighted the actions of the Moroccan Parliament to face such falsehoods and claims through the explanatory communique it issued and disseminated to the members of the Pan-African Parliament.

As concerns the relation of the House to some constitutional institutions, the Board reviewed the opinion of the Economic, Social, and Environmental Council on "public policy regarding food safety," and has decided to distribute the report to other deputies.