Morocco-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee Deplores Resolution of European Parliament and Denounces Maneuvers of Some Parties
The Joint Morocco-EU Parliamentary Committee held on Monday, June 14, 2021, an emergency meeting at the House. The meeting, chaired by the Committee Chairperson Chaoui Belassal, took place in the presence of the Committee members from both Houses and representatives of all the parliamentary groups, following the resolution of the European Parliament, adopted on June 10, on minors and migration.
The Committee expressed its astonishment at the resolution considered "contradictive to the strong partnership linking the Kingdom of Morocco to the European Union." The Committee also condemned the "maneuvers of some parties at the European Parliament to involve the European Union in a bilateral crisis between the Kingdom of Morocco and Spain.”
During the same meeting, the Committee members also discussed “the instrumentalization by Spain of the European Union in this bilateral crisis, and the dismissal of its responsibility in receiving the so-called leader of the polisario and its numerous maneuvers regarding the questions upon which there is general national consensus, particularly the question of the Moroccan Sahara.”
The Committee, in a statement read out by the Committee chairperson to the media following the meeting, noted that “the resolution of the European Parliament undermines the achievements realized by the Kingdom of Morocco and the European Union, especially with regard to mutual trust, exchange of information, and joint action to address the various forms of extremism and illegal migration.”
The meeting stressed that the resolution of the European Parliament is at odds with the positions of the European Union and other international bodies, who consider Morocco “a strategic partner and model of security, stability, and development in a region marked with tensions and instability.”
At the same time, the Joint Committee members lauded the high instructions of His Majesty King Mohammed VI to find a decisive solution to the question of unaccompanied minors, who suffer from the complexity of measures and procedures that have hindered the resolution of this issue for years. They also called their European counterparts to activate the Joint Morocco-EU Parliamentary Committee as an institutional mechanism for parliamentary dialogue and cooperation on central questions of the bilateral partnership.
The Committee concluded its statement by praising the European Parliament members “who did not indulge in the maneuvers of some hostile parties, given their conviction of the strength and solidity of the partnership linking the European Union to the Kingdom of Morocco as a reliable and credible partner.” The Committee also extended its “utmost esteem and gratitude for the national parliaments, Arab and African parliamentary unions, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the League of Arab States, and the Gulf Cooperation Council for their solidarity with the Kingdom of Morocco against the European Parliament resolution.”
The Committee stressed that it would continue to work with its partners in the European Parliament to consolidate achievements and consecrate the Kingdom of Morocco-EU cooperation and partnership relations. It will also open a direct dialogue with the various political groups represented in the European Parliament to deepen the debate on different areas.