The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities’ co-operation programme with Morocco is part of the South-Med Partnership and aims to assist Morocco in its decentralisation reforms by providing a platform for the exchange of experience and expertise between Congress members and their Moroccan counterparts, for example through plurilateral meetings and exchange of good practice.

Morocco was the first country to obtain the “Partner for Local Democracy” status from the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities at its 36th Session in April 2019. This status offers the Council of Europe’s neighbouring countries an ideal platform for dialogue and institutional contacts with their European counterparts.

The Moroccan delegation comprises 6 representatives and 6 substitutes who may sit alongside Congress members and contribute to the debates during sessions – albeit without the right to vote – and to the work of its Monitoring, Current Affairs and Governance committees.

The status is inspired by the Partner for Democracy Status of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), which Morocco has held since 2011 and which allows it to participate in the Assembly's activities.

See also: "Morocco – first 'Partner for local democracy'"

Morocco has ratified many treaties and is part of several partial agreements of the Council of Europe. It has been a member of the Pompidou Group's Mediterranean Network (MedNET) since 2006, of the Venice Commission since 2007 and of the North-South Centre since 2009. In 2016, 11 Moroccan cities joined the Council of Europe's Intercultural Cities network.

As from 2016, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities implemented its co-operation activities, including assistance for the development of democratic governance at local and regional level, a study visit of a Moroccan delegation to the Congress in March 2017 and a parliamentary symposium on regionalisation in Morocco organised in collaboration with the Moroccan Parliament in November 2017.

These activities established strong relationships with associations and other relevant stakeholders within the government and the Parliament. This political dialogue resulted in the joint request from the Moroccan Government and associations of local and regional authorities for "Partner for Local Democracy" status, which was accepted during the 36th Congress Session in April 2019.

Morocco benefits from co-operation activities within the framework of the Neighbourhood Partnership, financed by joint programmes of the Council of Europe and the European Union, which aim at promoting dialogue and co-operation with neighbouring countries and regions that wish to co-operate with the Council.

During its 121st Session on 11 May 2011 in Istanbul, the Committee of Ministers approved the Secretary General's proposals concerning the Council of Europe's policy towards its immediate neighbourhood. The document “Neighbourhood Partnership with Morocco 2015-2017”, which contains the action plans for the implementation of this policy, was approved by the Committee of Ministers in 2015 and was followed, in 2018, by the “Neighbourhood Partnership with Morocco 2018-2021”.

Назад Municipal and regional elections in Morocco: Congress welcomes calm and transparent elections and highlights areas of improvement

Municipal and regional elections in Morocco: Congress welcomes calm and transparent elections and highlights areas of improvement

Meeting at the 42nd Plenary Session, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe adopted today a report on municipal and regional elections held in Morocco on 8 September 2021. The observation was conducted on-site in several regions of the country, following online preliminary meetings with various interlocutors. This was the first election observation mission of the Congress in the country, which obtained the “Partner for Local Democracy” status in 2019.

The rapporteur, Vladimir Prebilic (Slovenia, SOC/G/PD), welcomed an overall calm and transparent Election Day, as well as the general competitive political climate. “Despite three elections being organised on the same day, all levels of the electoral administration managed to provide an environment free of violence and intimidation for voters, in keeping with the strict application of health measures”, he highlighted.

At the same time, the rapporteur suggested considering measures to ensure the campaign provided enough time and focus on municipal and regional issues for voters to become more familiar with programmes of a wide range of political actors. The report invites the authorities to pursue the efforts made to increase the participation of women in politics at municipal level, as well as reinforce the measures to regulate campaign finances, including online campaigns.

Lastly, the report encourages the authorities to continue working towards facilitating the exercise of the right to vote, in particular for persons still excluded from the electoral register, and improving accessibility of polling stations and readability of ballot papers.

See also:

 Video of the debate

 Statement by Vladimir PREBILIC

 Report CG(2022)42-19

For further information :

Contact:

Ms Renate ZIKMUND
Head of the Department of Statutory Activities, External Relations and Cooperation, SAERC
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
Tel: +33 (0)6 59 78 64 55 - [email protected]

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42nd Session 

Agenda – Web page – Multimedia (Live broadcast, interviews, videos and photos)

42nd Session Strasbourg, France 24 March 2022
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The Congress' Partner for Local Democracy status enables elected representatives of local authorities of Council of Europe’s neighbouring countries to participate in the Congress' activities.

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Congress South-Med Partnership

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