"As an association of local authorities, we want to maintain a privileged relationship with our partners within the Congress of the Council of Europe and strengthen the values of local democracy," stressed President of the Moroccan Association of Presidents of Municipal Councils (AMPCC) Mohamed BOUDRA in Strasbourg on 28 March 2017.
Speaking at the 32nd Session of the Congress on the occasion of a visit organised for a delegation of Moroccan representatives in the framework of the South-Med Partnership, he recalled the close ties between the Congress and the Kingdom of Morocco, in the context of the long tradition of decentralisation in Morocco, which "began decades ago with the first communal elections dating back to 1963".
The AMPCC President pointed out that the "Congress contributed to drafting the law on advanced regionalisation", highlighting in particular the exchange of views held in June 2010 between the Congress Rapporteur on regionalisation and the Advisory Committee on Regionalisation (ACR) responsible for drafting this law.
Following the Arab Spring, Morocco adopted, on 1 July 2011, a new Constitution allowing for "further strengthening of the powers given to local and regional authorities and which opens up new dynamics and promising prospects", he added.
Mr BOUDRA presented the key principles of the Moroccan Constitution that ensure the strengthening of participatory regional democracy, as well as three organic laws relating to local authorities adopted in 2015 that support the process of territorial reform and form the basis of regionalisation in Morocco.
“This is a sufficient basis for the co-operation between Moroccan and African local and regional authorities and the Congress to develop our local democracy in the interest of our respective populations", underlined the AMPCC President. "The Mediterranean joins Europe and Africa, such is our desire and yours," he concluded.
The South-Med Partnership programme is part of the Council of Europe policy towards neighbouring regions. It was adopted by the Congress Bureau during its meeting on 10 February 2017 and is designed as a special framework for the co-operation projects implemented in relevant countries, in particular in Morocco and Tunisia.
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