Tags: Morocco, European Parliament, European Union, Human Rights, Western Sahara, Economic Agreements,
During the various legislative terms of the European Parliament, Morocco has always been a focal point of interest and attention for this European institution and the MEPs (Members of European Parliament) who sit there. This attention increased during the 6th and 7th legislative terms.
Thus, during the 6th legislative term, in 2004, the European Parliament adopted a “Resolution on the Rights, Priorities, and Recommendations of the European Union,” with a reference to Morocco, calling for “the release of all Moroccan prisoners of war imprisoned by the Polisario and of all prisoners of war held by Morocco.” This interest was also evident in debates within various bodies of the European Parliament, such as the « Foreign Affairs » Committee, the « Human Rights » Subcommittee, and the « Maghreb » Delegation.
This approach intensified during the 7th legislative term, and this interest clearly transformed into an increasingly evident hostility towards Morocco. This culminated in a resolution adopted on November 25, 2010, titled “Situation in Western Sahara,” which focused on the events of Gdim Izik.
Additionally, during the process of adopting the Morocco-EU Agricultural Agreement and the Protocol of the Morocco-EU Fisheries Agreement, several MEPs expressed opposition to the ratification of these two agreements. Some went as far as requesting recourse to the European Court of Justice to annul these agreements, citing “legal, political, economic, and ecological” grounds.
This contributed, in one way or another, to the rejection of the Morocco-EU Fisheries Agreement Protocol on December 14, 2011.
This trend continues and is further reinforced within the institution through various actions carried out by a small group of pro-Polisario MEPs, including:
Integration of the Western Sahara issue into several general resolutions (such as the human rights situation in the Sahel, European Neighborhood Policy, Common Foreign and Security Policy, and the human rights situation worldwide);
Intense activism by the pro-Polisario lobby to push for the rejection by the European Parliament of agreements concluded between Morocco and the EU (e.g., the Morocco-EU Fisheries Protocol, currently discussed by the Fisheries Committee, the Development Committee, and the Budget Committee);
A multitude of written questions addressed to the Commission and the Council regarding Morocco (Western Sahara, human rights, etc.);
Solidarity visits to the Tindouf Camps;
Provocative visits to the southern provinces of the Kingdom.
Given the above, the European Parliament has gradually emerged as the most hostile European institution toward Morocco. This hostility is mainly due to the intense activism of the pro-Polisario lobby within the institution.
The entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty on December 1, 2009, contributed to strengthening the position of MEPs hostile to Morocco, as their institution gained new legislative powers linked to the expansion of its co-decision-making competences.
The anti-Moroccan lobby in the European Parliament remains heavily present within certain state representations, such as those of Spain, Italy, Portugal, and some Nordic countries (Sweden, Finland, Denmark), gradually extending to the representations of Central and Eastern European countries (Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and others).
Moreover, some political groups, such as the European United Left (GUE) and the Greens/ALE, remain largely hostile to Morocco, given the leftist ideological leanings of these two political groups.
The same applies to some European sovereignist and conservative groups, such as the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) and the Europe of Freedom and Democracy (EFD), which include a few MEPs opposed to Morocco for “Islamophobic” reasons.
Even political groups that generally adopt a positive/neutral position toward Morocco, such as the European People’s Party (EPP), the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), today include a certain number of MEPs hostile to Morocco.
These anti-Morocco MEPs are grouped under the “Western Sahara Intergroup” and collaborate with a pressure group known as “Independent Diplomat,” thus forming a hard core with significant influence over neutral MEPs within the European Parliament.
I- Limits of Morocco’s Actions vis-à-vis the European Parliament
Morocco’s approach has always consisted of actively and attentively following the work within the European Parliament, given the strategic importance of relations with the European Union, particularly within the framework of the Advanced Status and Morocco’s interests at stake within this institution. However, it must be acknowledged that the approach adopted vis-à-vis this institution has not succeeded in curbing the maneuvers aimed at discrediting Morocco and tarnishing its image.
Indeed, the actions carried out by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAEC) to promote Morocco and thwart the maneuvers of the enemies of our territorial integrity are generally poorly perceived by MEPs, who prefer to engage with their counterparts from the Moroccan Parliament.
Although the creation of the Morocco-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) in May 2010 aimed to strengthen the relationship between the Moroccan Parliament and the European Parliament and institutionalize parliamentary dialogue between the two parties to defend our country’s interests within this institution, its mode of intervention remains limited and sporadic.
Similarly, the Morocco-EU Friendship Group, created on June 22, 2011, to multiply dialogue channels and gather a significant number of « friendly MEPs » to promote Morocco and defend its interests within the Parliament, has shown some limitations due to the number of its members, their quality and diversity, and the capacity of its president to attract/influence key MEPs within the European Parliament and his manner of leading the group. This is glaringly reflected in the insufficiency of its activities and the lack of engagement from certain members of the Morocco-EU Friendship Group within the European Parliament.
Moreover, Morocco has always tended to favor contacts with the major political groups in the European Parliament that hold relatively positive positions towards the Kingdom (PPE, S&D, and ALDE) without making efforts to further engage with certain other political groups, such as the Greens/EFA Group, the European United Left/Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL), and the Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy Group (EFD), which are known for their ideological hostility toward our country. Though these groups are in the minority, they possess a significant capacity to cause harm within the European Parliament.
Morocco’s actions towards the European Parliament remain sporadic and reactive, based on a responsive approach that does not allow the development of a proactive strategy capable of serving our country’s interests during crucial moments. Additionally, these actions are mostly limited to the National Question, which sometimes frustrates the MEPs.
MEPs are often not receptive to the messages delivered by Morocco and are not particularly convinced by the positions expressed by Moroccan officials, especially regarding the Sahara issue and human rights.
The absence of a genuine Moroccan lobbying strategy within the European Parliament facilitates the actions of anti-Moroccan activists. Various lobbying/consulting operations carried out by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in recent years have not yielded the desired results.
Finally, the various Moroccan actors operate in a scattered and haphazard manner within the European Parliament without any coordination.
Given this untenable situation, the hostile trend is likely to worsen, considering several internal and external factors. This necessitates the implementation of an appropriate strategy to counter these harmful tendencies within the European Parliament, which could potentially spread to other European institutions.
The development of this strategy aims to defend the Kingdom’s interests within the European Parliament through a proactive, comprehensive, and coordinated approach involving all relevant Moroccan actors, namely the government, the Moroccan Parliament, political parties, civil society, and other stakeholders.
The implementation of this strategy is essential to ensure the adoption of upcoming agreements under negotiation with the European side, such as the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement, the Protocol to the Fisheries Partnership Agreement, and the Agreement on the Protection of Geographical Indications.
It will also take into account other attempts to instrumentalize our national cause within other institutions, such as the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and other national parliaments of EU member states, which have now become targets for opponents of our territorial integrity.
II- Strategy Towards the European Parliament
The Moroccan strategy aims primarily to undertake concrete actions to promote the image of our country within the European Parliament and to develop new areas of cooperation with this institution, which will ensure its effective contribution to strengthening the Morocco-EU Partnership.
This strategy will also aim to discredit Morocco’s enemies within the European Parliament by exposing, with supporting arguments, all their delaying maneuvers aimed at harming our country, and by putting them in difficult positions through targeted actions on issues that trouble them.
Given the diverse composition of the European Parliament, the complexity of its functioning, and the sensitivities it represents, the establishment of adequate and substantial means remains a prerequisite for the success of this strategy and the achievement of its objectives.
This strategy, which outlines the objectives to be achieved by each stakeholder and identifies the targeted groups, is presented as follows:
The various actions to be undertaken should primarily target:
The President of the European Parliament and its Vice-Presidents,
The Presidents and Vice-Presidents of the various Committees,
The Presidents and Vice-Presidents of the European Political Groups,
The most influential Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) who carry weight within their political groups,
All MEPs from all political trends,
Assistants of the most influential MEPs,
Parliamentarians from EU member states who have contact/influence over the MEPs from the same country and political party,
Moroccans residing in Europe,
European media,
Secretariats of certain parliamentary committees.
Given the diversity of stakeholders and national political issues, it will be necessary to establish a steering committee, chaired by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (MAEC), which will coordinate the implementation of this strategy and evaluate its results.
The goal is to set up a consultation platform that will allow for pooling efforts, optimizing results, and ensuring direct or indirect interaction with MEPs.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (MAEC):
The MAEC has an important role to play in the development and implementation of this strategy as an essential actor in Moroccan diplomacy, particularly by directly conducting actions at various decision-making levels within the European Parliament (EP) and closely collaborating with other Moroccan actors in parallel diplomacy in their interactions with representatives of this institution.
In this context, it is necessary to ensure regular coordination among the departments concerned with relations with the European Parliament within the framework of the steering committee, particularly the Directorate for the European Union and Mediterranean Processes, the Directorate for European Affairs, and the Directorate for Public Diplomacy and Non-State Actors to guide the MAEC’s action towards the EP.
In preparing the MAEC’s action plan, it is necessary to focus on the following elements:
Regular contacts between the Minister and the Delegate Minister with the responsible officials of the EP, which are necessary to present Morocco’s position on various issues of mutual interest, both in the bilateral framework and at regional and international levels.
Annual scheduling of the Minister’s hearing before the EP’s Foreign Affairs Committee, which could provide an opportunity for our country to share its political and democratic evolution and its effective contribution to addressing multiple regional challenges.
Organizing a meeting for the Delegate Minister with members of the Maghreb Delegation, which will be very useful for discussing the political and socio-economic situation in the Maghreb region.
Holding regular meetings with members of the EP’s CPM and Friendship Group to inform them about the latest developments in Morocco in various areas and to agree on steps to enhance relations with the EP.
Maintaining regular contact with various stakeholders of the EP and its different structures through the mission in Brussels, the Consulate General in Strasbourg, and the Kingdom’s embassies in EU member states to act in the interest of our country.
This strategy could also take various forms by multiplying and strengthening contacts with MEPs on various occasions and sending periodic bulletins tailored to the expectations of MEPs, which will be prepared by the Directorate for Public Diplomacy and Non-State Actors.
Adopting an innovative approach concerning the messages and discourse delivered by Moroccan officials, based on diversifying the themes of intervention, focusing on Morocco’s role in the region and its positioning as a credible partner in all areas. Moroccan stakeholders should communicate more about what Morocco can realistically bring to the EU in various fields of cooperation. They are also encouraged to adapt their messages according to the interests of their interlocutors.
Therefore, the strategy towards the European Parliament must take into account the upcoming electoral deadline scheduled for May 2014. While reinforcing actions towards the current MEPs for 2013 and 2014, it is necessary to establish an action plan in anticipation of the future European legislative campaign, involving associations of Moroccans residing abroad, whose votes could be decisive in the election of MEPs in their constituencies.
To ensure the success of the mentioned strategy, several actions remain essential, such as:
Strengthening the teams of the mission in Brussels with individuals tasked with targeting all Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), who will help strengthen the ties between the mission in Brussels on one hand and the MEPs and their assistants on the other, as well as establish regular contact with the secretariats of various parliamentary committees and political groups.
Strengthening the teams at our Consulate General in Strasbourg to ensure permanent presence at plenary sessions and to enhance contact with MEPs and their assistants.
The contribution of Moroccan embassies in Europe, which are key players in the strategy regarding the European Parliament. Their role is crucial alongside the efforts of Morocco’s mission to the EU and the Consulate General in Strasbourg.
It would also be beneficial for the Moroccan embassies in EU member states to have action plans targeting MEPs and national parliamentarians. In the same context, the ongoing monitoring by our diplomatic channels of the actions of pro-Polisario MEPs remains of great importance.
Notwithstanding the above-mentioned actions, resorting to a specialized lobbying firm focused on European Parliament issues remains an unavoidable necessity, whose effectiveness requires mobilizing significant financial resources.
Government and Institutions
The various Moroccan departments involved in relations with the Parliament must be associated with this strategy. Thus, some actions can be outlined in this context, such as:
Planning a visit by the Head of Government to the European Parliament, during which he will deliver a speech before the plenary session, similar to what was done with Tunisia and Jordan;
Organizing hearings for Moroccan officials in the various committees of the European Parliament;
Strengthening contacts with influential MEPs in the European Parliament;
Increasing visits by senior Moroccan government officials to the European Parliament to address various issues concerning Morocco-EU relations in all fields;
Ongoing collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation within the framework of the Steering Committee;
Inviting MEPs to visit Morocco and meet with Moroccan officials in areas of their interest;
Expanding the topics of discussion within the European Parliament to cover other issues beyond the Sahara and human rights in Morocco.
Moroccan Parliament
The Moroccan Parliament, which remains the counterpart institution to the European Parliament in terms of competencies and prerogatives, is called to further strengthen its relations with this European institution, which today occupies a central place in the decision-making architecture of the EU.
To achieve this, it is necessary to consider the implementation of the following actions:
Strengthening the capacities of parliamentary diplomacy, which is an absolute priority, notably through organizing a training course for Moroccan parliamentarians at the European Parliament;
Enhancing the role and responsibilities of the Morocco-EU Friendship Committee to make it the appropriate channel for Morocco-EU parliamentary relations;
Restructuring and strengthening the Morocco-EU Friendship Group in the European Parliament;
Creating a Morocco-EU Friendship Group in the Moroccan Parliament;
Establishing a monitoring unit within the Moroccan Parliament dedicated to relations with the European Parliament;
Consolidating contacts between the presidency of the Moroccan Parliament and the presidency of the European Parliament, as well as contacts between the vice-presidency of the Moroccan Parliament and the vice-presidency of the European Parliament.
Inviting members of the parliamentary committees of the European Parliament to participate in the work of certain Moroccan parliamentary committees.
Political Parties
Moroccan political parties have an essential role to play within this strategy. This involves setting up rapprochement strategies between Moroccan political parties and European political groups according to their ideological trends.
Thus, it would be useful to organize study days and meetings between these parties, as well as invitations could be sent to MEPs to attend congresses and meetings organized by Moroccan political parties.
Civil Society
Most MEPs maintain close ties with influential NGOs, and Morocco has a very active civil society. In this context, it would be desirable to coordinate the actions of the Moroccan associative fabric present in EU member countries through concerted efforts with our embassies and consulates in Europe.
It would also be beneficial to implicitly encourage Moroccans residing in EU member states to engage with hostile MEPs using the means at their disposal (voting in electoral districts) and promote Morocco’s image to their interlocutors.
Furthermore, it is desirable to encourage Moroccan civil society to play a positive role in this regard and to establish links with influential NGOs that can positively impact relations between Morocco and the European Parliament.
They could also address European officials and MEPs regarding issues of interest to our country (letters, emails, requests for meetings, etc.).
The organization of seminars, conferences, and study days on the role of parallel diplomacy is also of great importance to involve non-state Moroccan actors in defending Morocco’s supreme interests in the European Parliament.
In conclusion, it should be emphasized that the success of the Moroccan strategy regarding the European Parliament will depend on the level of commitment from various Moroccan stakeholders and the human and financial resources that will be mobilized by the concerned Moroccan institutions.
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