The private sector is ready to play its role in supporting and accelerating the implementation of an agenda for the integration and modernization of relations between Morocco and the European Union, in the interest of all, said, Wednesday in Brussels, the president of the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM), Chakib Alj.
« In a context where our Mediterranean is facing major challenges, such as climate change, migration and food and energy security, we cannot afford to leave Morocco-EU economic relations in the background.“, underlined Mr. Alj, during a meeting at the European Parliament on the theme “EU-Morocco cooperation and trade for sustainable development in the Mediterranean”.
He called, in this regard, to protect, promote and develop Morocco-EU economic and trade cooperation, which is built on a relationship that has been built for decades.
« The private sector is here today to highlight the opportunities available to us. Opportunities we cannot afford to miss, postpone or jeopardize“, indicated the president of the CGEM, encouraging the European institutions to work with employers to prioritize the economic potential of Morocco-EU relations and achieve common objectives.
Recalling that the CGEM began its action in Brussels a year ago, Mr. Alj noted that the message and vision of his institution remain unchanged: “ Morocco and the European Union must, realistically, put the protection of their relations at the center of their priorities, without letting political impasses hold these relations hostage« .
In this regard, he mentioned the political and economic importance of two crucial aspects, namely people and synergies.
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« We absolutely must focus on the populations of the Mediterranean. It is these – consumers, employees, customers, voters, citizens – who must be prioritized“, he pleaded, considering that in view of the current crisis context, “ businesses are key« .
Because, he explained, it is the companies that are called upon to implement the green and digital transitions, even in the context of scenarios of global crisis of the sectors and inputs, to create and maintain at all costs the jobs that allow families to survive, and potential immigrants to stay in their countries, to mobilize and organize resources on the ground, in order to ensure the development of their territories, and to qualify individuals and ensure an employment context that guarantees opportunities for young people , women and minorities« .
« If we allow threats of any kind to jeopardize or in the background trade, which is the raison d’être of business, that is all that we are jeopardizing,” he said, adding that “The CGEM, which is the voice of the private sector in Morocco, representing more than 90,000 direct and affiliated members, including 95% of VSMEs, wants to bring the perspective of these companies to the institutional debate on Morocco-EU relations, which is pragmatic, practical, economical and future-oriented« .
And to conclude that in an increasingly complicated, unstable and difficult geopolitical context for businesses, Morocco remains a reliable partner, which is now the EU’s largest trading partner in Africa, and represents nearly 25% of total EU trade in the Southern Neighbourhood.
Organized by the CGEM, in partnership with the European Parliament, the meeting, which explored the opportunities for close cooperation between the EU and Morocco in the current geopolitical context, discussed the “potential of EU-Morocco relations” and the opportunities “economic integration” and “renewable energy cooperation”.
It saw the participation of MEPs, Moroccan parliamentarians, members of the CGEM and the European employers’ association BusinessEurope.
The CGEM and its European counterpart BusinessEurope published a joint statement last September calling on EU institutions to modernize the EU-Morocco trade agreement. This alignment of the private sector around a key opportunity for Europe was echoed in a recent speech by the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Valdis Dombrovskis, who underlined, during the EU-Morocco Business Dialogue, organized last May in Marrakech, the great opportunity to integrate the Moroccan and European economies, particularly in the areas of sustainability and renewable energies.
With MAP