Morocco-EU Green Partnership: A new program is on its way
A new cooperation program between Morocco and the EU within the framework of the Green Partnership is about to be signed. It will focus on the circular economy (waste management) and the decarbonization of industry, in particular those concerned by the CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism) (Cf.leconomiste.com).
Paul-Henri Presset, Head of the Trade and Economy Section at the European Union Delegation to the Kingdom of Morocco, who made the announcement on Friday, September 20, 2024 in Agadir, at the conference on «The Green Deal and new sustainability issues for Moroccan exports to the EU», said no more. For the time being, therefore, we do not know how much money will be allocated to it, nor how financial and human resources (technical assistance) will be allocated.
In any case, this program will be most welcome as the Kingdom places the circular economy at the heart of its new national sustainable development strategy for 2035. This approach will be accompanied by legislative reforms, including the ongoing amendment of Law 28.00, aimed at regulating waste management and promoting recovery. But also various measures to manage waste more efficiently, including reduction at source, selective collection, recycling, eco-disposal and energy recovery, as well as the integration of extended producer responsibility and energy recovery. Pilot projects are being launched in six host cities of the 2030 World Cup to promote a circular economy adapted to local needs, through the adoption of a specific management mode adapted to municipalities whose waste quantities do not exceed 50,000 tons/year.
With regard to the decarbonization of industry in general and the CBAM in particular, which will come into force in 2026, the Ministry has also taken action by launching the «Tatwir Green Growth» program, aimed at supporting industrial SMEs in their efforts to develop decarbonized processes and products, and to support the emergence of new green industrial sectors and the reduction of industrial pollution.
This new program, which will strengthen and multiply circular economy projects and give a greater number of local industries the chance to overcome the CBAM obstacle, will be the third to be launched under the EU-Morocco Green Partnership.
Aziz DIOUF
