First Independent Mena Newspaper
The UK prepares to support French counterterrorism efforts in the Sahel region, through providing surveillance aircraft and helicopters, British government sources told different media outlets. Currently about 4,500 French troops are engaged in counter-insurgency operations in the Sahel where France has spearheaded efforts to create a joint-military force bringing together soldiers from five Sahel countries […]
The European Commission seems set to renew the fisheries agreement with Morocco, which will expire in July 2018. The Commission has asked the European Council for a mandate to start negotiations with Morocco on the deal, which enabled, since 2013, 120 vessels from 11 EU countries to fish off Moroccan coasts. In 2017, both EU […]
Morocco has awarded French VINCI Construction company a €284 million contract for building a pumped storage hydroelectric plant (PSP), located 70 km from Agadir. The project is part of the North African Kingdom’s plan to develop and integrate renewable energies. The contract covers construction surveys, civil engineering works, supply of materials and pumping equipment, assembly, […]
Morocco ranked first in the list of Spain’s suppliers with fruits and vegetables with exports totaling €462.3 million up to October 2017, FEPEX, the Spanish federation of fruits and vegetables producers, said. Morocco exports of agricultural products grew 36% compared to the same period in 2016, FEPEX noted. The Spanish federation highlighted the upward trend […]
The launch by Morocco of high resolution observation satellite last November and the upcoming acquisition of a second reconnaissance satellite sent shockwaves through the region with Spain struggling to bridge the gap with its southern neighbor through the launch of its own earth-observation satellite in 2019, reports Spacenews. The portal, dedicated to covering the business […]
Spain remained Morocco’s top trading partner in 2016 with trade turnover totaling $10.6 billion up from $9.3 billion in 2015, Morocco’s foreign exchange regulatory authority, L’Office des Changes said. Between 2015 and 2016, Morocco’s imports from Spain rose from $4.4 billion to $6.2 billion, while its exports to the country jumped from $4.2 billion to […]
Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni is to ask the Parliament’s permission to redeploy troops currently stationed in Iraq to Niger where terrorist groups are increasingly engaging in human trafficking, contributing to the surge of illegal immigration in the Mediterranean region. Gentiloni said Italy’s 1,400-strong military force, present in Iraq, could now be reduced after victories […]
The audit report on the Morocco-EU fisheries accord, commissioned by the European Commission, concluded that the agreement has worked satisfactorily and that 75% of its socio-economic impacts benefit the Moroccan southern regions, and recommended the renewal of this agreement, which will expire in July 2018 as it stands as an instrument of in-depth cooperation with […]
Members of the European Parliament adopted with an overwhelming majority the EU’s annual human rights report, which underscores the “significant progress” made by Morocco and chastizes Algeria for its “deplorable” human rights record. The EU report on human rights and democracy in the world in 2016 gives a broad picture of the EU’s human rights […]
The defense ministers of Egypt, Cyprus and Greece vowed to step up cooperation in combating drug, weapons and human trafficking in the East Mediterranean and to share information on countering the threat of terrorism. The Ministers also announced the setting up of a coordinating body to oversee joint special forces drills geared toward protecting vital […]