In the Joint Statement issued at the end of 14th High Level Meeting (HLM), held Friday in Lisbon, under the chairmanship of the Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch and the Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa, the two countries reaffirmed their commitment to a win-win economic partnership oriented towards the development of trade and an increased involvement of economic operators, including employers’ organizations of both countries.
Particularly in the field of investment and trade, both parties agreed to encourage cooperation between both countries’ economic operators, in order to take advantage of mutual complementarities, their strategic positions, in addition to exchanging information between both countries’ economic operators.
The two parties agreed to develop industrial cooperation around sectors with opportunities, such as textiles and leather, aerospace, naval, renewable energy and automotive sector.
In terms of mobility, Morocco and Portugal share the common desire to promote regular, organized and safe migration flows. In this context, they stressed again the importance of the Agreement on the Employment and Permanence of Moroccan Workers in the Portuguese Republic, signed on January 12, 2022, with the objective of creating opportunities for mutually beneficial labor mobility.
To this end, the two parties have agreed, under this agreement, to establish a Joint Commission composed of representatives of the competent authorities of both parties to ensure the monitoring and exchange of regular information.
The two parties have also expressed interest in finalizing the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Morocco and Portugal for the promotion of youth mobility.
On the other hand, Rabat and Lisbon are pleased with the existing cooperation in the sectors of transport and infrastructure, especially in the field of road transport, air transport and maritime navigation.
Both parties agreed to hold a meeting of the Joint Technical Commission on the implementation of the Action Plan signed on the sidelines of the HLM of December 2017, aimed at implementing the MoU of cooperation in the field of ports, signed on 1 September 2016 in Lisbon.
Similarly, Morocco and Portugal confirm their intention to work to assess the conditions necessary to launch, as soon as possible, a maritime line of passenger transport and mixed transport between the Port of Tangier and the Port of Portimão.
In addition, both parties agreed on the opportunity to update the cooperation protocol signed in June 2010 between Morocco’s national railway company ONCF – Office National des Chemins de Fer – and CP – Comboios de Portugal, on the different registers: objectives, consistency and implementation modalities.
Morocco and Portugal welcomed the excellence of the existing bilateral financial cooperation between the two countries, which has contributed to implementing major public investment projects in Morocco, expressing their willingness to assess new forms of financial and technical cooperation that can lead to more innovative, diversified instruments, adapted to the needs and priorities of both countries to develop projects of common interest.
Similarly, both parties welcomed the signing of Amendment No. 2 to the Financing Agreement on the second line of credit signed in 2010 on the extension of the period of use of this line.
In the field of tourism, Rabat and Lisbon reaffirm their interest in stimulating tourist flows between the two countries, which are of great importance for the rapprochement between peoples and for economic and social development.
On the other hand, both parties welcome the excellence of cooperation relations in the field of energy, and express their willingness to continue this partnership within the framework of the MoU signed between the two countries in 2017, especially with the holding of meetings of Thematic Working Groups and the development of an Action Plan for the years 2023 and 2024, particularly in the areas of renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Portugal and Morocco recognize the importance of further coordinating their efforts in the field of energy interconnection and have agreed to finalize the feasibility studies necessary for the realization of this project with the objective of exchanging renewable energy between their electrical systems.
The two parties agreed to sign a joint declaration between Morocco’s Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development and Portugal’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Action in the near future, with a view to accelerating the implementation of the electricity interconnection project between the two countries.
The two countries also welcomed the signing on November 8, 2022, on the sidelines of COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, the MoU on the roadmap on trade in electricity from renewable energy ”SET Roadmap” between Morocco, Portugal, Spain, France and Germany, aimed at promoting the integration of electricity markets of renewable origin of signatory countries.
They agree to work together for the progressive integration of renewable electricity markets between the five signatory countries, particularly through the implementation of the Cross-Border Green Corporate PPAs market.
Both parties also welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the field of Environment and Sustainable Development between the two countries.
In the field of education, higher education, science, technology and innovation, both countries affirm their willingness to promote exchanges and cooperation between Portuguese and Moroccan higher education institutions, Science and Technology Parks and Startups, and entities of the scientific and technological system (e.g., CTI and Colabs), as well as to stimulate these institutions and entities to organize visits and actions that promote collaboration with their counterparts.
Regarding the cultural sector, Portugal and Morocco are committed to promoting actions aimed at strengthening intercultural dialogue, memory and collaboration in the field of common heritage, especially with regard to interpretation centers, thereby strengthening the cultural ties between them.
In this sense, Portugal and Morocco have agreed to create a joint working group to prepare the celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighborliness and Cooperation, signed in Rabat, May 30, 1994, and 250 years of the historic Treaty of Peace between the two countries, signed in 1774.
Moreover, the two parties emphasize their common desire to develop sustainable cooperation in land use planning, urban planning, housing and urban policy, and welcome the signing of an MoU in the areas of ”development and promotion of housing in rural areas.”
Likewise, Portugal and Morocco reaffirm their commitment to deepen bilateral cooperation, especially in the prevention and fight against transnational organized crime, various types of trafficking, including drug trafficking, money laundering and terrorism and its financing.
They reiterate their firm condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and their determination to combat this scourge, which constitutes a threat to international peace and security and undermines the stability of States.
The two parties also reiterated the importance of their cooperation relations in the field of Justice and agreed to increase the exchange of expertise in the field of modernization of judicial administration and sharing of best practices related to it as well as information on the development of legislative standards in the judicial sphere.
