Rabat - Morocco and the European Union (EU) signed on Thursday five cooperation programs on social protection, green transition, public administration reform, migration management, and financial inclusion.

The five cooperation programs, which seek to support Morocco's major reform projects, amount to €500 Million (MAD 5.5 billion).

The cooperation programs were signed by the European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi, who is on a two-day work visit to the North African country, and Morocco’s Minister Delegate to the Minister of Economy and Finance, in charge of the Budget, Fouzi Lekjaa.

The new support programs include the second phase of the “Karama” program. With a budget of €130 million (MAD 1.4 billion), the EU-funded program aims to support social protection in the North African country, as well as improve the quality and efficiency of social services.

In addition, the Karama program seeks to ensure fair access to universal health coverage, family allowances, unemployment insurance, and pensions for all Moroccans. It will also offer vulnerable communities, including migrants, support and protection.

Meanwhile, the “Al Ard Al Khadra” program (Arabic for the Green Land) will receive a €115 million (MAD 1.26 billion) funding. The program, which is part of the EU-Morocco Green Partnership, aims to improve the environmental and economic sustainability of Moroccan agriculture and forest activities.

In addition, the Public Administration Reform Support Program, which received a financing of €50 million (MAD 550 million), aims to improve Moroccans’ access to public services by simplifying and digitizing administrative services and bringing them closer to citizens.

In a bid to address the challenges Morocco faces in regard to irregular migration and human trafficking, the financial package will allocate €152 million (MAD 1.67 billion) for the Migration Flow Management Support Program.
The fifth program, titled the Financial Inclusion Support Program, will help facilitate businesses’ access to financing. The program received funding of €51 million (MAD 561 million).

Describing Morocco as a “major partner in the field of agriculture, energy, and water,” Varhelyi celebrated the signing of the “substantial financial package.” “We [Morocco and EU] address crucial challenges together,” he tweeted.

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