Morocco and the European Union launched, on Monday, June 28, 2021, a green partnership initiative aimed at supporting the transition to more sustainable societies.
The launching ceremony took place on the occasion of an event that brought together Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad, Mr. Nasser Bourita, Minister of Economy, Finance and Administration Reform, Mr. Mohamed Benchaaboun, Minister of Energy, Mining and the Environment, Mr. Aziz Rebbah, Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans, European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, Mr. Oliver Varhelyi, and Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Mr. Virginijus Sinkevičius,
According to a joint Morocco-EU statement, the launch of the Green Partnership comes following the joint declaration establishing the “EU-Morocco Partnership for Shared Prosperity”, adopted in June 2019, which identified priority cooperation areas, namely energy, fight against global warming, environmental protection, and the promotion of green economy.
The event, which is a first key step, reinforces Morocco and the European Union’s commitments to strengthen their long-standing strategic relationship through the development of new innovative and mutually beneficial partnerships.
The partnership will enhance existing mechanisms of dialogue and cooperation between Morocco and the European Union and promote new aspirations defined by the European Neighborhood Policy and various priorities of the Kingdom, the joint statement added.
The Green Partnership translates a strong political convergence between the two sides on issues related to the environment, climate, and sustainable development.
According to the Joint Statement, the European Union acknowledges the leadership of HM King Mohammed VI in the fight against climate change and His vision on the sustainable and inclusive development of the Kingdom and the African continent.
This high-level commitment has enabled Morocco to define an ambitious strategy, favoring innovative initiatives and implementating large-scale and structuring projects, capable of supporting the dynamics induced by the green transition.
These achievements are likely to promote enhanced cooperation between Morocco and the European Union as part of their joint action towards a Green Partnership.
The project also underlines the importance of developing common and mutually beneficial approaches in areas deemed to be priorities by both sides and the need to work together to respond to the multiple challenges caused by the post-Covid recovery phase.
This joint work also translates the commitment of the European Union and the Kingdom of Morocco to implement the Paris Agreement on climate change, by placing at the heart of their policies and investments the energy transition to a clean model, sustainable water and waste management, the fight against air pollution, as well as the protection of biodiversity, the transformation into a low-carbon economy and the increase of adaptation capacities and resilience to climate.
“It is also intended to ensure consistency in our work with regional and international frameworks such as the 2030 Agenda, the United Nations Conventions on Biological Diversity and Desertification, the Regional Platform of the Union for the Mediterranean on energy and industrial cooperation and the Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea Against Pollution”, the joint statement noted.
It will also enable to develop of a sustainable cooperation model around clean energy transition and fosters the emergence of economic and social opportunities and promote close collaboration with other international actors to encourage partners to increase their commitment to achieving the objectives of the Paris Agreement and collectively advance the global climate agenda in synergy with, in particular, the 2030 Agenda on sustainable development.