Morocco plans a study with the EU to tackle the economic crisis resulting from COVID-19.
Rabat – Morocco and the European Union are studying means to open a new horizon of partnership after the COVID-19 crisis.
Morocco’s Minister of Industry, Moulay Hafid Elalamy, held a video conference with the European Commissioner for Competition and Digital Affairs, Margrethe Vestager, today, April 27. The two parties discussed an “in-depth” review of the Morocco-EU partnership following the COVID-19 crisis.
Elalamy told Maghreb Arab Press (MAP) that the COVID-19 crisis has shown Europe it needs to revisit its production tool for strategic activities
“It is proposed in this context to carry out a joint study on the capacity to create within the framework of a new mode of cooperation a way to mutually improve our resilience to this type of crisis,” he said.
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The minister added that Morocco discovered new dimensions of its industrial sector that can “breathe new life into this resilience.”
Vestager, meanwhile, expressed her satisfaction with the proposal to improve cooperation with Morocco.
“We also discussed during this videoconference … the experiences of Morocco and that of Europe in the field of personal data protection,” Elalamy continued.
The President of the National Control Commission for the protection of personal Data (CNDP) Omar Seghrouchni, who also participated in the videoconference, said Morocco is a continental leader in the protection of citizens’ personal data.
Following Vestager’s presentation on data protection in Europe, Seghrouchni recalled the position of Morocco and emphasized the country is studying technology projects to support deconfinement while protecting personal data of citizens.
“Morocco is studying with great interest the various European proposals to select the most optimal [option],” Seghrouchni added.
Morocco and the EU maintain strong ties based on multilateral cooperation in trade, immigration, and counterterrorism.
In addition to the multiple partnerships between the two parties, the EU also offered Morocco €450 million to support its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
The EU will allocate €150 million immediately to Morocco’s Special Fund for the Management and Response to COVID-19 that King Mohammed VI created on March 15.
The EU will inject the remaining €300 million at a later date.
