"The Minister of Economy, Finance and Administrative Reform, Mohamed Benchaaboun, and EU Ambassador Claudia Wiedey welcomed the payments from the European Union which took place on May 26, for the benefit of Morocco's budget, totaling more than 1.7 billion dirhams (157 million euros), in support of the fight against COVID-19 ", the press release points out.

These payments were made within the framework of support programs of the European Union in particular to the areas of health, social protection, training and education, and to the competitiveness of businesses and green growth, it says, adding that that these contributions respond to the ongoing efforts made by the Kingdom of Morocco since the start of the outbreak, notably through the Coronavirus Management Fund, the source notes.

EU's support backs the proactive approach adopted by the Kingdom of Morocco, following the high instructions of HM King Mohammed VI, in the management of this crisis, as well as the measures taken to mitigate its health, economic and social repercussions, according to the same source.

"Morocco appreciates the spirit of solidarity displayed by the European Union towards its long-standing partner in this period of crisis", the statement added, noting that the Kingdom and the European Union have succeeded together in implementing the commitments made in March 2020, within extremely short deadlines, thanks to the continuous mobilization of their teams in Rabat and Brussels.

Other payments will be made before the end of 2020 that amount to more than 3 billion dirhams (300 million euros) and will help mitigate the economic and social repercussions of the health crisis.

Beyond the current unprecedented context due to Covid-19, the European Union and Morocco underlined their will to further strengthen their partnership based on the shared principles of solidarity, mutual respect, co-responsibility and transparency, the source says.