European Neighbourhood Policy at Work
27 November 2007
Political context
The parliamentary elections of September 2007 were the most democratic and orderly ran elections in the history of Morocco, analysts stated afterwards. The government and the parties had put much effort in the election campaign in order to make the Moroccan electorate enthusiastic for the coming elections. However, the turnout of only 37% on the election day was a huge disappointment.
During the 1990s and since King Mohamed VI came to power, following his father’s death in 1999, the democratic perspectives for the future of the Kingdom of Morocco improved. Already, gradual political reforms in the 1990s resulted in the establishment of a bicameral legislature in 1997. Parliamentary elections were held for the second time in September 2002. The elections of 2007 could be seen, despite the low turnout, as a new step towards full democracy now the leader of the biggest party in parliament, Abbas El Fassi of the Istiqlal-party, has been appointed by the King as Prime Minister of the new government.
Morocco however still has a number of human rights’ issues to resolve, and the international border issue with the Polisario Front over the territory of Western Sahara remains unsettled. Since the accession of Spain to the European Economic Community (now EU) in 1986, Morocco is one of the neighbours of the EU. To strengthen the relationship with these neighbours, the EU signed the Association Agreement with Morocco in 1996 and has developed (since March 2003) the European Neighbourhood Policy, in which Morocco participates.
The European Forum has been organising Wider Europe conferences in Ukraine in 2003, in Moldova in 2004, in Georgia in 2005 and in Russia in 2006. This is the first conference to focus on the Southern Dimension of the European Neighbourhood Policy.
Report
European Neighbourhood Policy at Work & the State of Democracy and Social Democracy in Morocco
26 and 27 October, Rabat
The European Forum organised this two-day conference in co-operation with the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung in Rabat in order to:
- Discuss the findings of the latest results of the ENP Action Plan
- Look for windows of opportunity to further deepen the relationship between the EU and Morocco and to solve shared problems
- Strengthen contacts between social democratic parties from the EU and parties with leftist and socialist or social democratic platforms in Morocco
- Assess the political situation in Morocco, with special attention for the results of the elections, and the development of democracy & social democracy.
26 OCTOBER
The first day the European Neighbourhood Policy was the central topic. The conference was opened by Hajo Lanz, Director of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung office in Rabat and chair of the day. Then Mr. Adghoghu of the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs took the floor. He underlined the importance of building strong relations between his country and the EU. He explained the progress that had been made since the first agreement was signed in 2000. As a result, investments increased, the infrastructure was modernised and progress was made in the field of human rights and security. In the future he would like to focus on promoting trade in agricultural products, increasing EU investments in Morocco and co-operation on migration issues. The Moroccan government wants to go beyond the Action plans by getting better access to European markets, better mobility and more parliamentary co-operation.
Mark Hendrick, member of parliament for the British Labour Party said that mayor challenges lay ahead in the field of security and migration. In order to address these issues effectively we must look at the root causes of these issues, which are poverty, underdevelopment and socio-economic unrest. According to Mark Hendrick building a Fortress Europe is not the answer to these problems. On the contrary, the best way to address these problems is to develop open relationships, like in the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy. By making an assessment of the functioning of the ENP Mark Hendrick showed progress is being made, especially in the democratic process, social sphere, co-operation on migration matters and terrorism, economic and energy policies. However, improvement is still needed in the area of judicial reforms, poverty reduction, fighting illiteracy, diversification of the Moroccan economy and further democratic reforms. Mark Hendrick concluded with a quote of Mr. Sarkozy who stated the same week: ”The future of Europe lies in the South”.
The European Neighbourhood Policy at work was further assessed by Jérome Cassiers of the European Commission Delegation to Morocco. He explained that Morocco is the keenest country in the region. The European Commission is strengthening its relations with the civil society in order to see how to update the Action Plan. Assistance is given to a wide range of sectors. The EC also developed a national strategy human rights action plan. These programmes are run by the Moroccan government. The coming years the focus will be on supporting the social sector: education and health.
In response to questions from the audience, Mr. Cassiers said that he does see an effect of the action plan on domestic politics. Monitoring the commitments made and the dialogue have a positive influence. Also Mr. Adghoghu saw a positive effect of the co-operation and underlined the importance of an emerging NGO network in Morocco as a result of access to EU funding. In the discussion that followed, particularly attention was paid to the recently launched plan of Sarkozy to found a Mediterranean Union.
The second block in the morning focused on the role of women in Moroccan society. Well known feminist Leila Rhiwi delivered a key-note speech. She spoke of the improvements of the position of women in Moroccan society as a result of the lobby of women movements, but moreover as a result of the daily struggle of individual women all over the country. Morocco witnessed the entrance of women on the labour market, new legislation on sexual harassment and discrimination, the family code and campaigns against violence against women. However it remains a mayor challenge to actually implement these new laws. In addition, conservatism is on the rise, especially amongst younger Moroccans. Political participation of women is under pressure. Whilst in the previous parliament there were 35 women, they are only 34 in the newly elected Parliament.
In the discussion that followed Leila Rhiwi explained that women movements encounter more and more hindrances in political parties. The women movements decided they have other priorities, mostly in the social field, advocacy and research. The main focus in the future will be: 1) lobbying in order to influence public opinion, 2) creating alliances with other organisations, 3) information, education, and communication, 4) grassroots activities in order to show credibility, 4) mobilising the women. Especially the observation that it is the younger generation making up the more conservative parts of society did raise more questions. Leila Rhiwi said this is a result of the lack of understanding of democratic principles and absence of a political culture.
After the lunch break the conference focused on the state of democracy and human rights in Morocco. Mr. Habib Belkouch, Director of the Center for Information an Traning on Human Rights (CEDHD) in Morocco, gave an overview of developments. The main accomplishments are the adoption of the family code and the installment of a truth commission. He explained that democratisation started in the 1970s by the emergence of a civil society. The 1990s democratisation gained momentum by several reforms in the legislative field and the reform of the penal code. The king took a role as reformist. 300 people who used to be political prisoners were reintegrated into the labourmarket and were granted compensation. After 9/11 and the Casablanca bombings new human rights violations in Morocco took place as about 2000 people were arrested and reports of torture came out. Another problem noticed by Mr. Belkouch is the lack of freedom of press. New newspapers that made attempts to cross ”the red lines” were punished.
Abdallah Saaf, former Minister of Education, continued by presenting the latest developments in the Moroccan political scene. He stated that last elections differed radically from previous ones, but concluded that a lot needs to be done. Especially the personalised political system in which is operated based on loyalties is a hindrance for further democratisation according to Mr. Saaf. He described Morocco as a half democracy.
Alain Chénal representing the Parti Socialiste and the Fondation Jean-Jaures from France underlined the importance of universal and socialist values such as respect for life and diversity of cultures. In this respect he described the installation of the truth commission as a mayor and unique event. According to Mr. Chénal democratisation is always risky and security and safety challenges lay ahead. Therefore attention should be paid to poverty reduction, the strengthening of the rule of law, and cherishing cultural diversity. Chénal further underlined the importance of regional co-operation in the Maghreb. He concluded by saying that we should fight the impression of a battle of the West against the Muslim world because this could seriously harm the work of democracy assisting organisations.
André Gerrits of the University of Amsterdam and chairman of the Alfred Mozer Stichting, concluded the day with a speech on the role of the international environment in democracy promotion. After summing up some political and moral dilemma’s encountered in the work of democracy promotion, he stated that the easy part is over and that there is a growing resistance against western democracy promotion. In Gerrits view Morocco is a special case, but not unique. The monarch is a reformist, but in the end he will also be the biggest barrier. André Gerrits concluded the day with questions for further debate on the next day: What is democracy Moroccan style, how does the type of democracy of the EU relates to Moroccan society and what is the long term perspective, what type of political system would be best for Morocco and how can the reform process become less fragile?
27 OCTOBER
The second day focused on the development of (social) democracy in Morocco. Chairman of the day, André Gerrits opened the morning session and first gave the floor to Lahcen Haddad, University Professor at Mohamed V University in Rabat. Mr. Haddad gave an excellent introduction to the Moroccan political party landscape. He presented all the reforms that have taken place and briefly described the main political parties, which are the Independence Party (Hizb al-Istiqlal/Parti d'Independence), the Justice and Development Party (Parti de la Justice et du Development – PJD), People's Movement (Mouvement Populaire - MP), the National Rally of Independents (Rassemblement National des Indépendents - RNI), and the Socialist Union of People's Forces (Union Socialiste des Forces Populaires - USFP). The election results show that the parties were very close to each other. The turnout was with 37% the lowest ever. Haddad explained this by the failure of the parties to deliver, the lack of differences between parties, and a general dissatisfaction over the lack of democracy in Morocco. The USFP was the biggest looser in the latest elections, while the PJD moved up although they lost votes. Istiqlal won the elections. Generally, a shift to the right can be observed in Morocco.
Pasqualina Napoletano, Vice-President of the Socialist Group in the European Parliament, pledged for more attention for Morocco and the Maghreb region in the European Union and said that we have to “do the same for the South as we have been doing for the East”. She however disagreed with the proposal of President Sarkozy to form a Mediterranean Union. Instead, strengthened co-operation with the South should happen within existing EU frameworks.
George Vella, PES Presidency member responsible for Euromed region, highlighted the work of the PES in the region. He stressed the importance of meetings like these in order to join progressive forces. He praised the achievements Morocco made in the field of democracy and human rights and mentioned the areas in which still a lot of work needs to be done (low turnout, torture, corruption, lack of freedom of broadcasting, domestic violence against women, poverty, access to healthcare and education, illiteracy and child labour). Though democracy and stability are home-grown, the PES wants to contribute to these processes by giving a new impetus to the Barcelona process and to play an active role in promoting democracy. They want to stimulate the EU to have more interaction with neighbouring countries.
In the discussion that followed Napoletano said that the EU needs to be more clear on policies and needs to adopt a pragmatic approach. With regard to the Barcelona process she disapproved of entering into agreements with dictatorships. Others in the room, among them Mehdi Lahlou (PSU) agreed with Napoletano not to go along with the Sarkozy plan. Lahlou asked social democratic parties and foundations present to help them to help to solve the serious problems Morocco is facing.
Gérard Latulippe, resident director of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) in Rabat, explained the work of NDI in Morocco. Polls and low turnout show the dissatisfaction of the people with political parties. He said it is possible to blame the parties, but we should not forget that there are structural problems (the electoral system, the short campaigning period and the lack of freedom of press) that put parties in a difficult position.
Hajo Lanz, resident director of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) in Rabat, explained that the work with political parties is difficult. He does not see that political parties in today’s’ Morocco build democracy. Therefore, the FES focuses on support to civil society. The projects of the FES in Morocco focus on human rights organisations, trade unions and women organisations.
In the discussion that followed Lanz explained that it is possible to be active freely, though some topics are sensitive and questions can be asked by the authorities. This happens sometimes when speaking about the monarchy, religion and the territorial integrity of Morocco. Latulippe disagreed with Lanz about the role of political parties, he does see that many of them want reforms. Lanz replied that there are courageous individuals in the parties, but that the parties are empty shells.
The rest of the afternoon was aimed at discussing social democracy. Hassan Boukanthar, responsible for international affairs in the Socialist Union of People's Forces (USFP), explained that ever since the 70s resistances in the party existed. The party has limited possibilities to improve the quality of life of people, because the system is dominated by the monarchy and because the party never has a majority. It was clear Boukanthar was not satisfied with last elections. He said the divisions in the left are hard to understand for people. He called for unification and reforms in the USFP. A party commission will research and come up with proposals.
Mehdi Lahlou, international secretary of the Parti Socialiste Unifié (PSU) said that the parties of power failed to deliver, but also being in opposition is difficult. There are activists all over the country, but they fail to get media attention, because the media is focused on the Islamic movement and the palace. The PSU wants to have a parliamentary monarchy with separation of powers and a separation between religion and politics. They want more attention for inequality, education and healthcare and distribution of water. Also regional co-operation and maintaining Morocco’s territorial integrity are important PSU issues. The party-programme is based on social democratic principles. Lahlou called for co-operation between social democrats from the EU and Morocco beyond the standard issues like immigration.
Mr. Hachimi, international secretary of the Democratic Labour Federation (Fédération Démocratique du Travail – FDT, a trade union close to the USFP, pledged for constitutional reforms. He said that the programmes of previous governments did not meet the demands of the people. However, he does not see people in general and workers in specific seeking shelter in Islam.
In the discussion that followed Mark Hendrick said that political parties should be about what will be delivered, not a list of demands and rejections. In response, Lahdou said that the parties in government are limited in actions. Boukanthar defended the decision of the USFP to be in power.
Conclusion and recommendation for the future
Political parties in Morocco have limited room to act. The monarchy and the electoral system are not very favourable for political parties and the population has lost trust in politics. In this difficult climate social democratic parties in Morocco try to make a contribution to the improvement of the lives of people. This is a hard job and it is time European social democrats strengthen their engagement in Morocco and the region.
The Southern dimension of the European Neighbourhood is working, but could be more intensely used to build bridges and co-operation between the EU and Morocco. The EU has been very much focused on the Eastern dimension of the ENP. Now it is time to shift attention. It is not necessary to seek for new constructions, like the proposed Mediterranean Union of Sarkozy. Sufficient frameworks exist. Important topics are immigration and security. However, it is crucial co-operation goes beyond these hot topics, in order to address the root causes, which are of socio-economic nature.
The two-day conference was appreciated a lot by all participants. It offered an excellent opportunity to meet and to renew old contacts or to build new ones. Suggestions were made to organise follow up conferences on the same topic, but in other countries part of the Southern dimension of the European Neighbourhood Policy. In 2008 the European Forum plans to organise a similar conference in Jordan.
Kirsten Meijer
European Forum
Reactions
conferencePosted: Monday 28 January 2008 - 18:20:13
http://www.burzs.com/edit/arg.php?id=31313
hai sa ne cunoastem ,ori unde am fiPosted: Tuesday 29 January 2008 - 22:25:00
fratilor vreau sa va aduc la cunostinta ca la baia mare romania sa constituit ASOOC DE CULTURA A ROMILOR DIN ROMANIA CHEUDEANA vreau fratilor sa va aduc la cunostia ca aceasta asooc am constituito de a fi de un sprijin mai mare ptr neamul romanes acolo unde este nevoie si nu numai ,haideti sa aratam lumi adevarata valoare a romilor nu vorbesc din prisma unui miner cu o vechime de peste 20 de ani ma consider capabil de a ma ocupa de multe lucruri de care alti nau reusit pina in momentul de fata sa le inceapa de a face ceva ptr majoritatea comunitatilor de romii va multumesc si daca considerati ca intilnirea noastra va fi benefica ,va rogsa ma contactati la nr de mobil 0744573182
European Neighbourhood Policy at WorkPosted: Saturday 27 September 2008 - 05:07:48
According to the European parliament, the EU is seeking an increasingly close relationship with Ukraine, going beyond cooperation, to gradual economic integration and deepening of political cooperation.
=============================
Sam
Job Opportunities
