Cooperation with Morocco has now become “a structuring partnership, both at the national level and from a regional and African perspective,” said Mathieu Mori, Secretary General of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.
“This long-standing cooperation reached a decisive milestone in 2019, when Morocco was granted the status of first Partner for Local Democracy,” he said in an interview with MAP, noting that the Kingdom is now “a central player whose role goes beyond the bilateral framework.”
“Our cooperation has evolved in a positive and constructive manner,” offering “a valuable platform for political and institutional dialogue,” Mori said, referring to Morocco’s gradual integration into the Congress’ areas of cooperation, particularly within the framework of the Council of Europe’s Neighbourhood Partnership.
The European official said he “greatly appreciates” the consistent involvement of the Moroccan delegation in the Congress’ work, adding that the presence of a young Moroccan delegate for the second consecutive year illustrates the “vitality” of this partnership.
On the domestic front, Mori continued, the Congress is supporting reforms undertaken by the Kingdom in decentralization and advanced regionalization, notably through the sharing of experiences and expertise, as well as the dissemination of principles stemming from the European Charter of Local Self-Government among member states.
In this regard, he recalled his participation in the 2nd National Conference on Advanced Regionalization held in Tangier in December 2024, where he was able to “see firsthand the progress” achieved under this major reform project, noting that the visit opened concrete prospects for further strengthening cooperation.
Regarding future prospects, Mori said the Congress intends to continue and deepen this relationship, both through peer dialogue with the Moroccan delegation and through field cooperation activities.
In this context, he stressed that priorities for the coming years include strengthening democratic governance, supporting decentralization reforms, improving dialogue between different levels of governance, and developing participatory mechanisms.
He particularly emphasized concrete challenges facing Moroccan local authorities, such as environmental governance, territorial resilience, and water stress.
On these issues, Mori expressed the Congress’ “full readiness” to support and co-organize initiatives in Morocco, in close cooperation with Moroccan authorities and delegation representatives, by mobilizing its standards, tools, and expertise.
To these priorities, he added citizen participation, including youth participation in local public life, as well as transparency, accountability at the local level, and gender equality.
Beyond the national framework, Mori underlined that cooperation between Morocco and the Congress is increasingly taking on a regional dimension, stressing that his institution “attaches particular importance to the regional dimension” of this partnership and is working to strengthen synergies with other African territorial actors.
The aim is to foster broader exchanges of experience, practices, and expertise on shared issues, particularly in territorial governance, citizen participation, and territorial resilience, he explained.
Morocco, with its “real potential,” can serve as a platform for hosting regionally focused activities and contribute to the gradual appropriation of Council of Europe approaches adapted to local realities, he noted.
Morocco, he concluded, is today emerging as a “strategic partner” of the Congress, both as a committed actor and a potential driver for the dissemination of European standards in Africa, thereby consolidating its role as a bridge between the two spaces and as a regional hub for territorial cooperation.
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