PA-UfM Bureau Creates Working Group to Monitor Post-Coronavirus Period under Chair of Moroccan House of Representatives

The Bureau of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean (PA-UfM) decided to create a working group to monitor the post coronavirus period. The Speaker of the House of Representatives Habib El Malki will chair the Group. The decision happened during a meeting of the PA-UfM Bureau held via videoconference on Wednesday, June 16, 2021, in the presence of the President of the European Parliament and the current Chairperson of the Assembly, David Sassoli, and the members of the Bureau.

In his statement on the occasion, Speaker of House of Representatives noted that, despite the regional grouping that globalization dictates on countries to achieve complementarity and consolidate achievements between them, the Mediterranean region is still the least inclusive market in the world economy, regardless of its being one of the most important regions as it represents 20% of the world trade.

Mr. El Malki highlighted the causes of the gross inequalities between the two sides of the Mediterranean. In this respect, he summarized them in the unstable security situation in the MENA Region, especially in Libya, Palestine, and Syria and the trans-Mediterranean migration issue exploited by the human trafficking mafias. He also noted the cooperation and coordination between the European and African parties to address this phenomenon and underlined the efforts of the Kingdom of Morocco as a country of residence and transit.

In addition, the Speaker highlighted the lack of direct foreign investments in the south Mediterranean countries, the repercussions of climate change, the decline in forest cover, and water scarcity. He added, “These issues push the peoples of many regions to migrate towards more developed areas, which puts a heavy burden on the transit and recipient countries.”

The Speaker of the House of Representatives called on all Mediterranean parliamentarians to promote greater solidarity and co-development among the Mediterranean countries "to restore the status of this region as a cradle for civilizations." He also noted that Morocco had succeeded in establishing a solid development and strengthening South-South cooperation with African countries and is ready to share its experience in the Mediterranean region.

On another note, Mr. El Malki called for trust in the United Nations to find a fair, lasting, and mutually acceptable solution to the artificial conflict between Morocco and Algeria over the Moroccan Sahara, existing since the Cold War. "This will contribute to the construction of the Maghreb Union, and will inevitably be reflected in the Mediterranean Basin because if the Maghreb region is united, it will give rise to a stronger Mediterranean and more prosperity for the peoples of the region, which loses yearly 2% of its GDP because of the current situation."

The Speaker considered that the COVID-19 has shed light on the vulnerability of the human condition and that health "must be a priority for decision-makers." He concluded that Morocco is ready to "be the locomotive of a Euro-Mediterranean partnership based on peace, security, human dignity, and sustainable development."