EU Convinced of Morocco’s Crucial Role in African COVID-19 Response

Rabat – The European Union lauded King Mohammed VI’s Africa initiative, advocating for a unified Africa to fight the impact of COVID-19 on the continent.

“This initiative seems to fit perfectly with Morocco’s return to the African family [AU] which we have observed with great interest for several years, especially in many areas essential to EU-Africa relations,” EU spokesperson Peter Stano told Maghreb Arab Press (MAP).

He added that the EU is convinced that Morocco will be able to play its full part in “the collective efforts of the continent and its institutions with a view to combating the virus.”

Stano expressed the EU’s readiness to promote and support such initiatives “as part of its renewed global strategy towards the African continent.”

King Mohammed VI announced the proposal during his phone call with President of Senegal Macky Sall and President of Cote D’Ivoire Alassane Dramane Ouattara on April 13 to discuss the evolution of COVID-19 in Africa and the pandemic’s impact.

Both top officials welcomed the King’s initiative.

The EU official said that Europe announced measures worth more than €20 billion to support research, health systems, and water networks in EU partner countries to mitigate the socio-economic consequences of the pandemic.

Stano said that more than €3.25 billion is directly intended to support actions in Africa, with “€ 2.06 billion in sub-Saharan Africa and € 1.19 billion in North African countries.”

Africa, according to the EU spokesperson, will also benefit from important guarantees from the European Fund for Sustainable Development (EFSD), European Investment Bank (EIB) loans, and substantial contributions from member states and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). 

Stano emphasized that the EU has just laid the groundwork for a new strategy with Africa. The strategy’s proposals aim at intensifying cooperation in all key areas of the partnership, including a green transition, digital transformation, sustainable growth and jobs, peace and governance, and migration and mobility.