Joint Morocco-EU Parliamentary Committee Restructured

Speaker of the House of Representatives Rachid Talbi Alami and Speaker of the House of Councilors Naam Miyara chaired on Wednesday, December 8, 2021, at the seat of Parliament, a coordination meeting the Morocco-European Union Joint Parliamentary Committee, on the Moroccan side. The meeting took place in the presence of the parliamentarians members of the Committee of both Houses.

The participants in this coordination meeting unanimously agreed to entrust the Chair of the Committee to Councilor Lahcen Haddad of the Istiqali Group for Unity and Egalitarianism, while his deputy will be Rep. Mohamed Moubdi of the Haraki Group.

The meeting was an opportunity to assess the achievements of the Morocco-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee. It was also an occasion to discuss the various challenges and future projects that must be addressed to strengthen political and parliamentary cooperation between Morocco and the European Union. 

In their address, Speakers of the Houses of Representatives and Councilors stressed the common commitment to the exemplary, rich and multidimensional Europe-Morocco partnership. The latter was built upon hard work for nearly half a century. The Speakers also expressed their keenness to preserve and develop this partnership in its various political, social, economic and security dimensions.

In addition, the Speakers noted the importance of strengthening the Moroccan dialogue on the European partnership to provide coordinated and unified responses to issues of common interest, including the European Neighborhood Policy, security and counter-terrorism issues, migration, human and sustainable development, as well as the economic, trade and environmental cooperation.

During the same meeting, the Speakers of both Houses of the Parliament stressed the importance of utilizing all the available cooperation opportunities, particularly in the light of the current epidemiological context relating to Covid-19 and the economic, social, environmental and health priorities it has imposed. Furthermore, the said challenges require the consolidation of Euro-Moroccan areas for consultation and dialogue, the exchange of expertise and openness to best experiences and practices.

In his statement at this meeting, Chairperson of the Morocco-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee, Lahcen Haddad, emphasized the need to adopt a new approach in line with the new composition of the Moroccan Parliament. He also noted his desire to give a strong impetus to the Morocco-Europe ties that would reflect the Moroccan aspiration for a new multilateral partnership and a political dialogue that takes into account the developments in the Euro-Mediterranean and African sphere and creates a new model of partnership and a good neighboring policy between Europe and its southern Mediterranean partners, in full respect of the strategic interests of both parties, as stressed by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist him, in his last speech on the occasion of the 46th anniversary of the Green March.

Mr. Haddad added that this ambition would constitute a structural trend that would give a strong impetus to the complementarity of views between the two sides on political, economic, social and environmental issues. In this respect, the restructuring of the Morocco-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee will give new impetus to the strategic character of Morocco's relations with Europe, which can help to support the building of a renewed partnership.