Tunisia, Morocco sign administrative cooperation accord

Tunisia and Morocco concluded in Tunis on Thursday an accord providing for enhanced cooperation in all administration-related sectors.

Under the accord, the two countries will trade experience in matters of administrative reform, boost cooperation in the field of administrative research and studies and exchange visits of officials in charge of administrative promotion.

The two states will equally cooperate in the field of civil servants' training with the aim to ease administrative procedures and improve the services to citizens, businessmen and investors.

A standing joint commission will be set up to work out cooperation programs and supervise their implementation by the two sides.

The accord was initialed by Moroccan civil service and administrative reform minister, Aziz El-Hussein, who paid a visit to Tunisia June 2-4, and his Tunisian peer, Abdelhakim Bouraoui.

The Moroccan official, who wound up his three day working visit to Tunisia this Friday and who was received by Tunisian premier Hamed Karoui, described the outcome of his trip as "positive."

Morocco has devised a plan of action to reform the administration. The plan covers, inter alia, the reform of administrative structures, payment systems, recruitment and promotion conditions, retirement pension systems, mobility of civil servants and redeployment of staff.

The reform also targets the promotion of administrative devolution, improvement of citizens' access to public services, and easing of administrative procedures.