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On Monday April 15 in Rabat, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo co-chaired the third meeting of the High Joint Commission for Partnership between Morocco and Belgium, alongside his counterpart Aziz Akhannouch.
Enshrined in a joint declaration, the meeting was an opportunity for Brussels to laud «the reforms carried out by Morocco, under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, over the last twenty-five years, for a more open and dynamic Moroccan society and economy, noting the importance of the New Development Model, advanced regionalization and the many ambitious reforms, such as the Family Code (Moudawana) reforms».
At the same time, the two Heads of Government praised «the role played by the Moroccan community established in Belgium, and the Belgian community living in Morocco, as pillars of rapprochement» between the two countries. The year 2024 was also marked by the 60th anniversary of the signing of the bilateral labor agreement between Morocco and Belgium.
The two parties welcomed «the dynamic relationship between Morocco and Belgium, reaffirming their shared desire to further deepen this relationship, with a view to establishing a strategic, forward-looking partnership that matches the expectations and potential that exist between the two countries, to meet current and future challenges».
Rabat and Brussels also expressed their «desire to strengthen trade and investment, and to cooperate on climate change, energy transition through the development of renewable energies and green molecules, as well as on water management, infrastructure and transport». The advantages of the new «Moroccan Investment Charter», the «Morocco Offer» for green hydrogen and the structuring projects planned for the 2030 World Cup were also discussed.
Strengthening multi-sector investments
As for investment, the two Heads of Government welcomed the scheduling of a Business Forum in Casablanca on April 16, 2024, to enable economic operators from both countries to explore the opportunities on offer on both sides.
The two Heads of Government also welcomed the multi-dimensional cooperation that links the two countries, as well as the signing, in February 2024, of the Specific Agreement of the 2023-2028 cooperation program for the economic inclusion of women and young people within a decent work framework. Part of this agreement covers post-earthquake reconstruction projects in the Al-Haouz region, according to the joint declaration.
In view of their joint presence on the United Nations Human Rights Council, the two countries also «reaffirmed their willingness to pursue their efforts to promote and defend human rights, to strengthen their dialogue on issues related to human rights, and to examine the possibility of jointly organizing events in the appropriate multilateral forums».
Parliamentary cooperation and its role in bilateral relations were highlighted, with a view to supporting a momentum of strengthened partnerships between the legislative institutions of Morocco and Belgium. To this end, a Joint Parliamentary Forum will provide a forum for dialogue.
Strengthening institutional and security cooperation
On a related note, the two Heads of Government underlined the progress made in judicial cooperation, reinforced by the conclusions of the last Joint Commission in civil and criminal matters, in December 2023, and the implementation of the Convention between Belgium and Morocco on assistance to prisoners and the transfer of sentenced persons, as well as its Additional Protocol. They also welcomed «the prospect of the conclusion of a memorandum of understanding between the Belgian Federal Prosecutor's Office and the Presidency of the Moroccan Public Prosecutor's Office».
These initiatives serve «the common interest of both countries in pursuing and strengthening close bilateral cooperation, to combat threats to national and international security», notably through police cooperation welcomed by both parties, the joint declaration stresses. The implementation of the Convention on Cooperation in Combating Organized Crime and Terrorism, which will come into force in 2022, was also discussed, as was the «2022-2024 police cooperation action plan».
The two Heads of Government also welcomed «the progress made in migration cooperation, notably the holding of the first meeting of the Moroccan-Belgian Joint Migration Group and the joint implementation of effective measures». In this sense, they «reaffirmed their willingness to pursue efforts aimed at intensifying and strengthening migration cooperation in various fields, such as return, readmission and the fight against human trafficking, as well as improving mechanisms for the mobility of professionals and legal migration».
Cultural cooperation was also discussed as an «important lever for mutual understanding and rapprochement between the Moroccan and Belgian communities». In this respect, the two parties discussed «the possibilities of further developing the partnership» in this field, through «the exchange of expertise in the protection, conservation and enhancement of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, cooperation between museums and institutes specializing in the arts and heritage, and the organization of cultural and artistic activities in both countries».
Belgium supports Morocco's position as a «good basis» for a solution
The joint declaration covered 25 key points, in which Belgium expressed its support for Morocco's position on the Sahara issue. The two countries also reaffirmed «the centrality of the historic and privileged partnership between the Kingdom of Morocco and the European Union», as well as their commitment to «contribute to strengthening this partnership at all levels» to «promote sustainable development, peace, security and stability in this region, notably through the Union for the Mediterranean».
On the Moroccan side, the meeting was attended by the Ministers of the Interior, Abdelouafi Laftit, of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Living Abroad, Nasser Bourita, Minister of Justice Abdellatif Ouahbi, the Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Leila Benali, and the Minister Delegate to the Head of Government, in charge of Investment, Convergence and Evaluation of Public Policies, Mohcine Jazouli.
On the Belgian side, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice and the North Sea, Paul Van Tigchelt, took part in the meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Foreign Trade, and Federal Cultural Institutions, Hadja Lahbib, the Minister of the Interior, Institutional Reform and Democratic Renewal, Annelies Verlinden, and the Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration, assistant to the Minister of the Interior, Nicole de Moor.
