Speaker of the House of Representatives and President of the European Parliament Discuss Ways to Reinforce Cooperation

Speaker of the House of Representatives Rachid Talbi El Alami held talks on Wednesday, April 6, 2022, in Strasbourg, with the President of the European Parliament, Ms. Roberta Metsola. The discussions focused on ways to strengthen cooperation between the two legislative institutions.

The meeting falls within the framework of a two-day working visit of the Speaker of the House of Representatives to the European Parliament, at the head of a prominent parliamentary delegation.

In a statement to the press, Ms. Metsola lauded “the fruitful meeting,” which allowed the discussion of several topics related to cooperation between the two institutions and the exchange of views on means to strengthen the long-standing links with the Kingdom of Morocco, which is a "partner and friend" to the European Union.

She also noted her will, during her term in office as President of the European Parliament, to work on strengthening the existing “very close” cooperation between the Kingdom of Morocco and the European Union.

The President of the European Parliament added that her talks with Mr. Rachid Talbi El Alami mainly discussed questions related to security, migration, regional stability, and the priorities of the Euro-Mediterranean region. She also highlighted that this meeting comes after two years of restrictions imposed by COVID-19.

For his part, Speaker of the House of Representatives Rachid Talbi El Alami noted that this meeting discussed two main themes, namely the challenges of the current international juncture, especially in the light of COVID-19, the supply of global markets in commodities, and the increasing prices in relation to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Mr. Talbi El Alami added that the second theme was the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean, which Presidency the Kingdom of Morocco will assume as of this afternoon. The Speaker also stressed the necessity of restructuring the Assembly to enable it to undertake its missions fully.

Highlighting the Kingdom's leading role in this Assembly on essential issues such as security, energy, the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking, as well as in the area of democratic support, such as hosting the inter-Libyan dialogue, border control, and exchange of information with its European partners, the Speaker of the House of Representatives noted that these challenges could only be met if there is a solid Parliamentary Assembly and greater involvement from European partners.

He also stated that this issue was raised during the meeting with Ms. Metsola, who affirmed her willingness to work alongside the Kingdom of Morocco to inject a new dynamic into the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean and strengthen its roles.

It should be noted that the Speaker of the House of Representatives is performing a two-day working visit to the European Parliament, leading a prominent parliamentary delegation including Mr. Lahcen Haddad, Chairperson of the Morocco-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee, and the Secretary-General of the House of Representatives, Mr. Najib El Khadi.