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Join on Telegram Rabat – Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita spoke with the EU’s Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi on June 28 to discuss a flourishing, environmentally-focused future between both parties.
“Morocco has indeed asserted itself as a key partner in the various stages which led, in February of this year, to the renewal of the European Union’s Agenda in the Mediterranean,” said the EU commissioner in his opening remarks.
Varhelyi noted that global warming has affected the Mediterannean region disproportionately compared to the rest of the world. “The proof is that since 1980 the warming in this region has advanced 20% faster than the world average.”
According to the United Nations’ Development Programme (UNDP), Morocco’s northern regions are more susceptible to the effects of global warming such as flooding, erosion, and storm surges.
Aside from the obvious downfalls of global warming in Morocco, the kingdom has remained vigilant in combating its effects through a wide variety of environmentally focused programs. Initiatives such as the creation of the Noor Power Plant and Fask Dam Project support the kingdom’s history of green thinking.
Arguing that hydrogen may soon become a widely used resource for energy, the EU commissioner stated that the Mediterannean region has an abundance of natural resources to provide alternative energy such as solar and wind resources.
In his outline of the Green Partnership Plan between the EU and Morocco, Varhelyi said it seeks to “strengthen their strategic relationship through joint work on the energy and economic transition towards a clean model and low-carbon.”
In addition, Varhelyi stated that the “sustainable management of waste and water and the increase of adaptation capacities and climate resilience” falls in line with the partnership’s objectives.
The slogan “build back better,” not to be confused with US President Biden’s former campaign slogan, refers to the global campaign to economically recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
As for the funding of the new initiative, Varhelyi referred to the Southern Neighborhood Economic and Investment Plan as the “backbone of our action.”
“The Plan includes 12 concrete flagship initiatives or ‘flagships’ in priority sectors to support competitiveness and growth,” Varhelyi said, before noting that Morocco will host seven of the twelve flagships.
Morocco is the first country of its kind to engage in a partnership of this caliber with the EU.
The kingdom is highly experienced in the field of energy conservation and green sectors. The Green Morocco Plan, which King Mohammed VI announced in 2008, has sought to modernize agriculture, ensure food security, and boost agricultural product exports by implementing new farming practices and relying less on depletable resources.
The EU commissioner supported the deal stating, “Since 2010, EU-Morocco cooperation in ‘green’ sectors has amounted to around 700 million euros and funding for the energy transition to 320 million euros.”
Citing other examples of the EU’s investment in Morocco, the commissioner referred to the Green Partnership as a “model both in Europe, as in the Mediterranean and in Africa.”
