Brussels, 28/01/2014 (Agence Europe) - EU-Morocco negotiations for concluding a “deep” agreement give rise to debate within Morocco where different sectors are increasingly expressing their reticence and calling for better consultation. In the wake of the medicines and business sectors, economic analysts are also taking this leap. In the daily L'Economiste, the academic, Nabil Boubrahimi, who specialises in international trade, suggests “the creation of a joint body for conducting talks”. The challenge faced by that body would “above all be that of reaching a clear and lasting strategic vision for national interests”.
Boubrahimi does not challenge the importance of the agreement with the EU which “could play a role in speeding up the promotion of trade and investment but above all institutional and regulatory harmonisation with European acquis”. He does not, however, share the optimism expressed by the government. Such optimism “presupposes that the talks have been rigorously prepared, based on the use of modern economic analysis for assessing the impact that the agreement would have. It also presupposes that the talks were preceded by consultation with the private sector with a view to identifying the interests of Morocco and requests for potential concessions to be made to the European party”. Boubrahimi is eager that this should be done as “agreements that have been the subject of an impact assessment study are few and far between” (our translation throughout). (FB/transl.jl)