Morocco’s Socialist opposition group in the House of Representatives said Tuesday that a draft law creating regional urban planning and housing agencies is part of the country’s broader effort to implement advanced regionalization, a key strategy for achieving national development and social and territorial justice.
The remarks came during a legislative session held to study and vote on Draft Law 64.23, which would establish Regional Agencies for Urban Planning and Housing. The opposition called on the government to ensure the law is fully implemented, rather than remaining only on paper.
In a speech delivered by MP Fadil Berras, the Socialist opposition stressed the need to establish local agency branches in each province or prefecture, or more, through a regulatory framework and at the proposal of the agency’s board. This, the MP said, would be necessary given the broad responsibilities assigned to the agencies.
Berras also warned against overloading the regional agencies with responsibilities that fall under other sectors, arguing that they should focus on their core mission: territorial planning and drafting urban development documents.
The MP highlighted what he called “structural imbalances” in the urban planning sector, particularly the failure to enforce planning documents and the growth of informal construction, which he said threatens citizens’ dignity and safety.
He proposed granting the agencies authority to monitor ongoing urban development projects, land subdivision, and housing and building construction to ensure compliance with laws and regulations and protect public safety.
Berras also proposed a provision preventing the director general from delegating some powers to temporary experts or consultants, citing the need to avoid conflicts of interest and to protect the agency’s integrity.
He called for creating a “Directorate for Audit, Evaluation, and Governance” within the agency to produce annual performance reports focusing on service quality and transparency.
During the same session, MP Adil Sebaai from the Haraki Party expressed concerns that the draft law appears to support advanced regionalization in form, but strengthens central control in substance. He said the bill maintains most of the existing powers of urban agencies and does not sufficiently clarify the role of elected local governments.
He argued that the transition to regional agencies should build on existing achievements rather than sideline them, and called for clearer legal frameworks defining responsibilities and decision-making processes.
MP Youssef Bayzid of the Progressive Socialist Party emphasized that the agencies’ success depends on strong political will and sufficient resources. He warned that without real authority and capabilities, the agencies could become “administrative structures without a soul.”
Bayzid also urged reducing reliance on private consulting firms for planning documents and engineering tasks, arguing that these public responsibilities should be primarily handled by agency staff. He called for improved training for urban planners, architects, and surveyors to strengthen local capacity.
He added that the agencies should address regional inequalities, particularly in rural, mountainous, oasis, coastal, and emerging urban areas that suffer from weak infrastructure and limited development programs.
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