Morocco plays catalyzing role in Euro-Mediterranean cooperation, European official

Morocco plays a catalyzing role in the Euro-Mediterranean cooperation mechanism, both at the political and economic scales, said European commissioner for trade, Pascal Lamy, who is to start Thursday a three-day visit to Morocco.

Morocco, thanks to the balance it succeeded in maintaining with all the operators in the region, acquired a genuine political presence in the Euro-Mediterranean landscape, Lamy told reporters at a press briefing here Monday.

Lamy's talks in Morocco with officials, private sector operators and civil society activists, will focus on outstanding trade issues such as the rules of origin.

He said he will also discuss with Moroccan officials ways of increasing European investments in the Kingdom, that are assessed at some 100 million Euros (about 1.0 billion Dirhams) per year, i.e. 1 percent of the EU's overall foreign investments.

Morocco enjoys important comparative advantages, especially its political stability and competitiveness in several economic sectors, but red tape must be alleviated to attract more investments, Lamy said.

Lamy will equally discuss with Moroccan officials preparations for the World Trade Organization meeting to be held in Doha, Qatar, in November. The re-launching of trade negotiations in the form of a new round constitutes a priority for the European Union, the European official insisted.

In this perspective, the voice of Morocco, which has always had presence, credibility and personal competence in the multilateral negotiations is so important for the union, Lamy said. He added that this importance is all the more important as Morocco adopts a moderate stand. While sharing the union's worries, Morocco adopts the stand of developing countries, the European commissioner said.