In a speech on Sunday to the first Morocco-EU summit held in Granada (southern Spain), the Sovereign said Morocco, which has always attached special importance to its relationship with the European Union, is committed to pursuing this reliable, exemplary, mutually beneficial cooperation, which is indicative of the nature of my country's relations with Europe.
Morocco believes such a statutory development in its relationship with the European Union ought to lead to a "privileged partnership"; one that would build on recent accomplishments while providing effective, timely answers to the new economic, human and strategic issues currently facing Morocco and the European Union, HM the King underlined.
"It is Morocco's ambition to see a new era started in the relationship it has with the European Union. The contractual nature and operational mechanisms of this new relationship should give more substance and strategic significance to our future cooperation," the Sovereign said, adding the Granada summit is being held at a time when relations between Morocco and the European Union are marked by an upward trend, thanks to the Advanced Status and the ambitious course set for the future.
Morocco agrees with the European Union's assessment of the various challenges confronting the Mediterranean and Africa. It will therefore continue to be an active partner, a role for which it is predestined not only because it is strategically located at the crossroads of two continents, and its shores are lapped by two seas, but also because of a natural interaction with the environment surrounding it, HM the King said, noting with satisfaction the "convergence - across the board - between the Morocco-EU partnership and the resolute, dedicated efforts I am making to build an open, democratic, solidarity-based society."
“It is also heart-warming that Morocco’s keen desire to establish itself as an emerging economy is consistent with the efforts my country is making to achieve the strategic ambition of building a common economic space with the European Union,” the Sovereign said, underlining that “to achieve this lofty objective, Morocco recommends going beyond the mere establishment of a free trade area. Investment flows need to be boosted, agricultural and industrial synergies created, the services sector restructured, and common policies implemented in the areas of research for development and the knowledge-based economy.”
“Such an agenda requires the prompt, effective implementation of all the commitments to which both parties have agreed,” the Monarch said, adding that “in this respect, and considering the importance of the new agricultural agreement concluded recently and the opportunities it provides, Morocco insists on the need to take practical measures towards its implementation to honour our joint commitments, and regrets the delay in its entry into force.
The setting up of a common framework of cooperation on the knowledge-based economy between the Kingdom of Morocco and the European Union should allow us to look into new energy and environmental issues, promote research in the areas of eco energy, clean energy, green economy, meteorology, biodiversity, sea water desalination, prevention of flood sand droughts, the Sovereign stressed.
The Monarch said that “in this regard, the solar energy project I launched last November reflects a clear, ambitious vision in the area of renewable energies and sustainable development,” noting that the Kingdom looks forward to exploring, with the European Union, all the opportunities to be created by regional projects, such as DESERTEC, in order to lay the foundations of a well-defined, safe, sustainable Euro-Mediterranean energy policy.”
The same approach, based on solidarity and consultation, should be used when dealing with human flows between Morocco and Europe, the Sovereign said, underlining that “Morocco is keenly interested in the new form of citizenship currently taking shape on both shores of the Mediterranean. It recommends providing assistance to immigrants to help them acquire a balanced identity and reinforce their roots, rather than make them renounce their identity or origins.”
“Our shared objective should be to improve the conditions of migrants so as to help them contribute effectively to enhancing exchange relations between the two shores of the Mediterranean, and thus be an important vehicle for cross-cultural communication and human coexistence,” HM the King said, adding that the pride and satisfaction with respect to all that has been accomplished, and the vast prospects lying ahead for the Morocco-EU partnership, must not eclipse the need to gear our partnership towards the achievement of loftier, more ambitious goals.
“In this regard, I believe the time has come to confer upon the Advanced Status, which we defined in March 2000, all the legal, institutional and contractual characteristics it now deserves; in other words, let us raise it to the level of a special partnership,” HM the King underlined.
HM the King called upon Europe “to move closer to Morocco and become our chief partner, by providing tangible support and taking an active part in joint, resolute action designed to give substance to the strategic objective of developing a privileged partnership.”