Brussels, 29/08/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 29 August, the European Commission unveiled the first part of its 2013 action programme for Morocco. The programme, to which a total of €110 million is allocated, aims to support, on one hand, the establishment of a system of universal medical coverage and, on the other, agricultural development policy.
The programme supporting reform of basic medical coverage (€50 million) will aim to assist the government in its efforts to implement the principle of universal access to healthcare embodied in the 2011 constitutional reform. It will, in particular, help Morocco to achieve generalisation of the RAMED (a medical assistance scheme for the most deprived), integration of eligible citizens insured in other ways into the compulsory medical insurance scheme and, finally, integration into the basic medical coverage mechanism of segments of the Moroccan population that do not yet benefit from any coverage.
The agricultural programme (€60 million) will continue to accompany initiatives taken by the Moroccan authorities to allow small farmers to benefit from support measures with a view to shoring up productivity and the creation of jobs in a number of agricultural areas deemed a priority, to improve the processing, development and marketing capacity and thus improve the income of small farmers. (LC/transl.jl)