Regionalization, Strategic and Irreversible Choice (Minister)

Regionalization is a strategic and irreversible choice, said Minister of Economy, Finance and Administration Reform Mohamed Benchaâboun, on Wednesday in Rabat.

Since 2016, nearly 31 billion dirhams have been transferred to the regions, said Benchaâboun, who was responding to questions by members of the Finance and Economic Development Committee in the House of Representatives, during the general discussion of the 2021 appropriation bill.

Despite the expected decline of nearly 40 billion dirhams in general budget resources, we are committed in 2020 to pay the contribution of the general state budget in its entirety, i.e. 3.7 billion dirhams, assured the minister, noting that the 4th tranche of this contribution, estimated at 800 million dirhams, will be paid before the end of the year.

The government, in partnership with the regional councils, is working on the implementation of the guiding framework for the implementation of the autonomous and shared attributions of the regions, while guaranteeing the support for the regional agencies for the execution of projects and acceleration of the implementation of projects scheduled under the first tranche of regional development programs, he stressed.

In 2020, the first contract-program between the State and the region of Fez-Meknes was signed, for the period 2020-2022, he said.

With regard to the budgets of local authorities, the decisions take into account the specificities of this exceptional situation as well as its repercussions on the regression of the resources of these authorities, the Minister noted.

These decisions are essentially aimed at preserving their financial balance and maintaining their capacity to fulfill their missions and honor their financial commitments. They do not contradict organic laws, he insisted.

The resources of local authorities recorded a decrease of 9.3% at the end of August 2020 compared to the same period of 2019, the result of the decline of 6.8% in transferred financial revenues, of 13.6% in own resources, while ordinary expenditure fell by just 1.3%, and capital expenditure by 12.1%, he noted.