The Council of Europe and the government of Morocco have signed an agreement formally creating a Council of Europe office in Rabat.

The text was signed in Brussels by Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland and Mbarka Bouaida, Morocco’s Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation on Tuesday 1 April 2014.

The office will help to implement mutually-agreed priorities for cooperation between Morocco and the Council of Europe and to coordinate the on-going Council of Europe/European Union joint programme on "Strengthening democratic reform in the Southern neighbourhood".

The main areas of cooperation between Morocco and the Council of Europe include strengthening the independence and efficiency of the country’s legal system, preventing corruption and tackling human rights abuses – notably including human trafficking, as well as violence against women and children.

Morocco has already signed up to several legally-binding Council of Europe conventions and takes part in a number of the organisation’s structures including the Venice Commission of constitutional and legal experts.

The Moroccan parliament enjoys “Partner for Democracy” status with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and cooperation between the Council of Europe and civil society in Morocco led to the creation of a Citizen School of Political Studies in 2013.

See also:
 The Council of Europe and the Southern Neighbourhood