The European Union will provide financial support to Morocco amounting to 50 million euros, in order to implement a program to support green energies and decarbonize development sectors.
The announcement of this support came during the signing of a joint statement between Morocco and the European Union, Saturday, in Dubai, on the sidelines of the activities of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28).
The joint statement was signed on the Moroccan side by the Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Leila Benali, and the General Director of Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations at the European Commission, Geert-Jan Koopman, on the European side.
The financial value of this support, which the European Union allocated to Morocco, amounts to about 50 million euros, including 43.6 million euros in budget support and one million euros for additional support in the form of technical assistance, capacity building, and twinning, for a period of 5 years.
Leila Benali, Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, highlighted in a statement to the press that this agreement concerns the activation of the provisions of the green partnership between Morocco and the European Union through a group of programs, including this program, which will support the reforms undertaken by Morocco in the areas of renewable and new energies, including hydrogen. Green and promoting research and innovation in these areas, in addition to decarbonizing development sectors, noting that Morocco is the first country to sign this partnership with the European Union.
For his part, Director General of Neighborhood and Expansion of Discussions at the European Commission, Geert-Jan Koopman, explained that this agreement is important for supporting clean technology in green energies in the Mediterranean region, and is of vital importance for economic development in North Africa and in the European Union.
He continued, “Given the enormous potential of renewable energy sources, which we want to exploit for the benefit of the peoples on both sides of the Mediterranean,” there is also a huge amount of renewable energy, which allows the possibility of developing advanced industries.
It should be noted that the green partnership between Morocco and the European Union falls within the framework of the continuity of the joint political declaration adopted during the 14th session of the Association Council between Morocco and the European Union in Brussels in 2019, which affirmed the ambition to develop “a true European-Moroccan partnership of shared prosperity,” in cooperation with “ The Green Deal for Europe” launched by the European Union on the eve of the twenty-fifth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP25).
This article was produced as part of the 2023 Climate Change Media Partnership (CCMP) program, a journalism fellowship organized by Internews’ Earth Journalism Network and the Stanley Center for Peace and Security.
