Morocco: Council of Ministers approves bill on social protection

A Council of Ministers that was held in Fez Thursday under the chairmanship of King Mohammed VI approved the draft framework law on social protection for all.

 

The draft law was approved as part of the implementation of the King’s guidelines, as expounded in the Throne Day speech in July, and in the speech delivered by the Sovereign at the opening of the Parliament fall session in October.

 

The draft relates to the generalization of social protection for the benefit of all Moroccans, said a statement by spokesperson for the Royal Palace, Abdelhak El Mrini.

This societal project, keenly followed up by the King, represents a genuine social revolution given its direct and concrete impact on the improvement of the living conditions of citizens, the preservation of the dignity of all Moroccans and the protection of vulnerable categories, particularly in times of economic turbulence, health risks and various emergencies, the statement said.

 

This framework bill is intended to be the cornerstone and the referential framework for the implementation of the royal vision in the field of social protection, the realization of the noble objectives set out by the King, in particular the support of the purchasing power of Moroccan households and the achievement of social justice, the statement underlined, explaining that the project aims to define the principles and objectives relating to the reform of the social protection system, over the next five years, and the commitments of the State, local authorities, public establishments and enterprises, as well as the private sector, civil society, various public and private bodies and citizens to achieve the project objectives.

 

The statement detailed these objectives, namely the generalization of basic compulsory health insurance – covering the costs of treatment, medicine and hospitalization – during the years 2021 and 2022 that will benefit an additional 22 million people; the generalization of family allowances during the years 2023 and 2024; the broadening of the base of pension beneficiaries, in addition to the generalization of severance pay during the year 2025.

The bill also provides for the coordination of the action of public authorities with all the stakeholders concerned by the generalization of social protection with a view to creating a unified structure for the coordination and supervision of social protection systems.

 

The implementation of this large-scale societal project embodies the fulfilment of the King’s aspirations for the Moroccan society’s wellbeing, through the generalization of social protection, and represents, moreover, a lever for integrating the informal sector into the national economic fabric, so as to guarantee the protection of the working class and its rights, as well as a decisive turning point on the path to achieving a balanced development and social and spatial justice, the statement said.