Morocco’s CESE pleads for more solidarity in Mediterranean to mitigate COVID pandemic effects

Morocco has pleaded for more solidary and innovative partnership between the two shores of the Mediterranean to overcome the effects of the Covid-19 crisis and boost vital economic sectors in the Euro-Mediterranean region.

Speaking at the 2022 Euromed Summit of Economic and Social Councils and similar institutions held in Marrakech, President of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE), Ahmed Réda Chami, stressed “the need to define a more ambitious and bold strategic orientation for the future of our relations with the European Union to achieve the recovery and sustainable development in the Mediterranean region.”

Chami, who believes that the EU must take more account of the existing disparities and respond more effectively to the expectations of its southern partners, reiterated CESE’s readiness to continue active cooperation with the European body and strengthen it further to make it more impactful.

The 2022 Euromed Summit is an ideal framework for dialogue, consultation and exchange in areas of common interest and an opportunity to strengthen the bonds of friendship between the two shores of the Mediterranean, he said.

According to Chami, this event “is also crucial to make heard the voice of the representatives of civil society and strengthen their active contribution to the construction of an area of peace and shared prosperity for the people of the Euro-Mediterranean space.”

“This pandemic, whose consequences are still visible, has exacerbated the fragility of our development models at the economic, social and environmental levels and has tested the solidarity between countries,” he said, recalling that Morocco, upon high royal instructions, had reacted quickly by sending medical aid to fifteen countries in Africa.

For Chami, the main lessons to be learned from the management of this crisis are the need for deep reform of our health systems and for social protection mode to develop regional value chains.

“I am firmly convinced that this summit in Marrakech, will be a milestone and an excellent opportunity to advance the talks for pragmatic solutions to our common challenges and for the successful revival of the Euro-Mediterranean project,” he stated further.

The Euromed summit, which kicked off Tuesday, features a special session on “Debriefing on disaster management in the Mediterranean”, in addition to plenary sessions on “Covid-19: the role of civil society in the reconstruction and resilience of the Euro-Mediterranean region”; “Renewed partnership with the Southern Neighborhood”; and “Networks in the Euro-Mediterranean area – developing regional cooperation”.

It also includes workshops focusing on topics such as “the road to economic recovery”; “Mitigating the social impact of COVID-19”; and “the impact of COVID-19 and the Ukraine war on sustainable development in Euromed”.

The event is bringing together some 120 participants from economic and social councils, or similar institutions, representatives of employers, trade unions, other economic & social interest groups as well as NGOs from member countries of the Union for the Mediterranean.

The European Economic and Social Committee will elaborate an information report on the main theme of the summit, in close cooperation with its counterparts in the southern Mediterranean.