Time for European Neighborhood Policy to Evolve - FM

The European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) must evolve to go beyond pure financial logic and rehabilitate its guiding principles, namely differentiation, complementarity, solidarity, ownership and “more for more”, stressed, Tuesday in Rabat, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad, Nasser Bourita.

The ENP remains relevant 17 years after its launch, but it is time for it to evolve, especially to go beyond pure financial logic so as to focus on “everything but institutions” and rehabilitate its guiding principles, namely differentiation, complementarity, solidarity, ownership and more for more,” Bourita stated at a joint press briefing with European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi. The European Neighborhood Policy is also called to be a guideline for all EU structures, to involve the countries of the South more in the “decision shaping” relating to them, and to create synergies with bilateral, regional and bicontinental frameworks (UfM, 5+5 and EU-Africa in particular).

On the bilateral level, the minister reaffirmed Morocco’s commitment to consolidate a “solid, innovative and sustainable” Morocco-EU partnership.

“The Morocco-EU partnership is doing better. It is more responsive, more pragmatic and in tune with the challenges of the moment,” he said, noting that HM King Mohammed VI ensures the quality of this partnership and wants it to be permanently inscribed in a process of quality, clarity and ambition.

Welcoming Varhelyi’s visit to Morocco, his first trip to a neighboring country, Bourita stressed that his talks with the European Commissioner were rich, friendly and fruitful. They tackled the future of bilateral relations, in the context of the ongoing review of the European Neighborhood Policy, Morocco’s FM added.

“Our partnership is also distinguished by solidarity which goes in both directions. It has manifested itself brilliantly in our response to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, whether through the mobilization of Moroccan productive sectors in support of European value chains, or the mobilization of European funds in support of Morocco’s efforts,” he noted.

For Bourita, this partnership has indeed begun to be deployed across four homogeneous spaces: Politics and Security, Economy and Social, in addition to Shared Knowledge and Shared Values. It is also deployed around two cross-cutting axes, dedicated to the environment and migration.

Bourita, who highlighted the innovative nature of the approach chosen, along with the European official, to accelerate the deployment of this renewed Partnership, also welcomed the commitment of both parties to identify innovative and priority niches, capable of contributing to the deployment of the Recovery Plan desired by His Majesty the King.

On the same day, Bourita held talks with the European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson, who is currently visiting Morocco with her European peer Oliver Varhelyi.