On 4 February 2015 the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers adopted the Neighbourhood cooperation objectives with Morocco for  2015-2017,  which  were  developed  based  on close consultations  between  the Moroccan authorities  and  the  Council of Europe. These objectives establish the overarching framework of bilateral cooperation between the Council of Europe and Morocco and include the following:

• To consolidate  the  results  of  the  co-operation  implemented  since  2012  through  the “Neighbourhood Co-operation Priorities with Morocco 2012-2014” and to initiate new areas of co-operation in line with national reform priorities, based on a demand-driven approach, in the fields of expertise of the Council of Europe.
• To continue the efforts made to facilitate the creation of a common legal area between Europe and Morocco, encouraging the authorities to bring Moroccan legislation into line with European and international standards and to ratify the Council of Europe conventions open to non-member States, with due regard for the procedures set out in the relevant conventions.
• To provide support to the development and to the effective implementation of new legislation in accordance with European and other international standards, according to the identified needs.
• To provide support to the setting-up and functioning of human rights institutions and new governance structures.
• To enhance Morocco’s presence in the Council of Europe structures of which it is already a member or observer (Venice Commission, the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice, the European Pharmacopoeia, the Pompidou Group’s MedNet network) and to encourage country’s participation in other Council of Europe structures, according to the identified needs.

In order to implement the above mentioned objectives the Council of Europe has commenced the implementation of the Programme “Towards Strengthened Democratic Governance in the Southern Mediterranean (South Programme II)”, building on the outcomes and achievements of the 1^st phase of the South Programme  implemented  in 2012-2014. The geographical scope of the Programme covers cooperation  with  countries  of  the  Middle  East  and  North  Africa  (MENA)  region,  but  in  particular Tunisia, Morocco and Jordan, who will act as the main beneficiaries.

The Programme serves as the overarching framework  for  Council of Europe  cooperation  with Morocco in  the following three priority  areas:  i)  human  rights;  ii)  rule  of law and  iii)  democracy. The “rule of law” area includes a significant component on “Combating corruption and money laundering”, which will be implemented as one of the Programme’s components in the form of a separate Project.

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