"2020 has been a remarkable year where we have worked together in an exceptional and effective way and we are pleased and proud of the result we have achieved," the diplomat said at a press briefing on the 2020 balance and 2021 prospects for the Morocco-EU partnership.

According to Wiedey, Morocco reacted very well from the very beginning of the pandemic. "We are not out of the crisis yet but we start 2021 with good prospects," she added.

The diplomat also expressed the EU's political commitment to support the significant efforts made by Morocco since the early days of the pandemic.

In 2020, the European Union has indeed unlocked the 450 million euros of subsidies promised, with exceptional speed and responsiveness, to the benefit of vital sectors such as health, social protection, and education, she stated.

For the EU diplomat, "this health crisis has once again demonstrated that the historic partnership established with Morocco, based on mutual trust and solid foundations, has enabled the European Union to react swiftly towards its partner in an unprecedented way."

"We tackle 2021 with the common ambition of renewal, whose milestones were laid on February 9 with the EU communication for a new agenda for the Mediterranean," she said.

This communication, on which Morocco was consulted prior to its publication, proposed several orientations, including human development, good governance and the rule of law, resilience, prosperity and digital transition, peace and security, migration and mobility, ecological transition, as well as an economic and investment plan, she explained.

The plan identifies several flagship programs, including the European Union's support for the Mohammed VI Investment Fund.

The European Fund for Sustainable Development will be mobilized, as well as other European Financial Institutions, to contribute to the operations of the Mohammed VI Fund, the diplomat said.

As part of the ecological transition, the EU and Morocco have recently drawn up together a "Green Partnership" which details their joint action for the climate, but also for the environment and the green economy.

"Today, we are looking at a transition to a much greener, sustainable and healthier economy based on energy efficiency," Wiedey noted.

Morocco is already a pioneer in several sectors, including renewable energy, the diplomat added, highlighting Morocco's position as a "first-order" partner of the EU in green economy.

Unlocking economic potential, adapting to the challenges arising from the pandemic, seizing opportunities to rebuild better by fighting against climate change, are the ambitions that the European Union shares with Morocco, she noted.

On the decision of the United States to recognize the Moroccanness of the Sahara, the diplomat said she took good note of the decision of former President Donald Trump. It is "a decision of an important state that is a permanent member of the Security Council."

The position of the EU aligns with the stance of the United Nations, Wiedey said, voicing hope that the political process would restart as soon as possible to reach "a lasting and acceptable political solution", which will benefit Morocco, the parties involved and the entire Maghreb region.

The economic cost of this non-integration in the Maghreb is enormous, she concluded.