Brussels, 18/05/2011 (Agence Europe) - The joint EP-Morocco parliamentary committee ended its second meeting in Rabat on 16 and 17 May with a declaration on terrorism, which speaks out against the attack in Marrakesh on 28 April and supports the process of political reform underway in Morocco, whilst calling for the justice reforms, announced in 2009, to be speeded up to guarantee the independence of justice, reduce the time taken to sentencing and implement a specific policy for minors.
The joint committee, which was co-chaired on the European side by Pier Antonio Panzeri (S&D, Italy) in his capacity as president of the European Parliament's delegation for relations with the Maghreb countries, also dealt with migration policy, one of the "major challenges to be faced by both partners". "It is absolutely vital for us to facilitate the issuing of visas, encourage legal immigration and integration and fight illegal immigration", the parliamentarians of both sides wrote in their declaration.
The controversial fisheries dossier was also tackled, at a session attended by the Moroccan Minister for Agriculture. The members "called for a mission of the committee on fisheries of the European Parliament to Morocco", to give them a better understanding of the social and local development implications of this sector. On agriculture, they stressed in their declaration "the need to step up investments in terms of mechanisation and to open up the markets further to face the problems of agriculture, particularly in rural areas experiencing situations of poverty". (F.B./transl.fl)