COP28: Morocco gets €50 million donation from EU to promote clean energy; signs with Portugal joint declaration on electrical interconnection

Morocco, which is actively participating in the ongoing Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) in Dubai, got €50 million donation from European Union to promote clean energy and decarbonization in development sectors and signed a joint declaration with Portugal on electrical interconnection between the two countries.

The deal with the EU was signed by Morocco’s Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Leila Benali, and Director General for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations at the European Commission, Gert-Jan Koopman. Under the deal, the funding, spreading over 5 years, €43.6 million will support the budget and €1 million will go as additional support for technical assistance and twining and capacity building.

This agreement is part of the implementation of the bilateral Green Partnership programs, and support of the reforms undertaken by Morocco in renewable and new energies, including green hydrogen, and the strengthening of research and innovation in these sectors, as well as the decarbonization of development sectors, Benali told the press, adding that the Kingdom is the first country to sign such a partnership with the European Union.

For his part, Koopman pointed out that the agreement relating to the promotion of clean technologies and green energies in the Mediterranean region is vital for the economic development of both North Africa and the European Union.

The European official highlighted the enormous renewable energy potential in the region, which “we want to exploit for the benefit of the populations of the northern and southern shores of the Mediterranean” and for industrial development.

The Morocco-EU Green Partnership is an extension of the Joint Political Declaration adopted in 2019 in Brussels during the 14th meeting of the Association Council between the two parties, which underlined the ambition to develop “a true Euro-Moroccan partnership for shared prosperity”, and in cooperation with the “European Green Deal”, launched by the EU on the eve of COP25.

The Morocco-EU Green Partnership, launched in 2021, is a cooperation framework to support the transition towards more sustainable modes of production and consumption, to jointly face the challenges of ecological transition and climate emergency, while supporting growth and economic recovery efforts of both partners after the Covid-19 crisis.

Also, on the sidelines of COP28, Morocco and Portugal signed on Saturday a joint declaration on an electrical interconnection project between the two countries.

The joint declaration, signed by the Minister of Energy Transition Leila Benali and the Portuguese Minister of the Environment and Climate Action Duarte Cordeiro, aims to strengthen the development strategies for renewable energies between the two countries, as well as the possibilities for energy exchange between the African and European continents.

This declaration also aims to intensify dialogue to ensure a resilient and inclusive energy transition that aligns with global goals in sustainable development and climate change. This includes encouraging the use of renewable energies and accelerating the implementation of strategic projects of common interest, such as the electrical interconnection project between the two countries.

Given their geographical positions as gateways between Europe and Africa, Morocco and Portugal intend to jointly address the challenges of energy transition, particularly by strengthening the integration of electrical markets in an international context marked by market instability and supply chain disruptions for energy products.

Benali told the media that the implementation of the electrical interconnection project between Morocco and Portugal is significant for both the European and African continents. She added that the signing of this joint declaration aims to update the technical studies and the financial cost of funding this project on a global scale.

On his part, Duarte Cordeiro emphasized that the two countries share the same strategies for the development of renewable energies, as well as green hydrogen.