Brussels, 20/02/2014 (Agence Europe) - Moroccan businesses are by no means reassured by the prospect of a “deep and comprehensive free trade agreement” - DCFTA - with the EU, which is at odds with the view largely accredited to the government and the European Commission, which see only benefits. The healthcare sector has already expressed its grave misgivings and highlighted the threats to the generic medicines segment. This growing concern is being put across increasingly in the media. The other countries of the Maghreb, which have already been invited, one by one, to undertake similar negotiations, are attentively following the arguments put forward by the Moroccans, who are going first.
In general, 45% of private-sector Moroccan operators, particularly in the field of services, see the “DCFTA as a threat, compared to just 20% who see it as an opportunity for their company”, reveals a survey commissioned by the Trade and Services Federation and ASMEX (export sector). The survey revealed that there also appears to be a question mark hanging over the transparency of the negotiations. The observation is that “nearly one third of company managers are not familiar with the contents of the DCTFA”.
To sum up, according to this survey “the perceptions of the DCFTA are overall negative” and there is a genuine fear that opening up the Moroccan market to all comers will be of greater benefit to the more seasoned partner, with the risk of “flooding” of the national market. The services sector, which, according to the Federation, represents nearly 60% of the country's economy, is concerned about concessions on intellectual property which it deems excessive.
Khalil Dahami, President of the Federation, said in a statement to the local newspaper “L'Économiste”, that “the ICT [Ed: information and communication technologies] sector and other services to businesses will be facing greater competition and could lose nearly 1.7% of production”.
The recommendation of Moroccan business circles, as reflected by the media, would be for the negotiations to be carried out “with great care”. They are calling for “the needs, risks and concerns of the various sectors to be taken into account to better steer the negotiations in a 'win-win' framework”. They feel that a sectoral impact study is required. As for exporters, the fear is that they will be unable to take full advantage of the concessions in return and will have very little scope to invest in the European market due to the “lack of exportable Moroccan goods”, which will lead to the “risk for the country of worsening the trade balance deficit”.
“The agreement will not be signed unless there is something in it for Morocco”, the Moroccan negotiator-in-chief for the DCFTA, Latifa Bouabdellaoui, stated, in response to questions put by the media. When also asked about the issue by the media, the EU took pains to pour oil on troubled waters, through its delegation in Rabat. It is, it says, “prepared to take part in any event, workshop or seminar which would aim to provide information or clarify the process of this negotiation”, the EU delegation responded in an e-mail to questions from an online newspaper.
On services, the EU also sought to reassure all sides. “The services sector in Morocco is already substantially open and European companies are already established in Morocco. The main objective of the DCFTA in the services sector will be to consolidate the existing level of openness in order to give operators on both shores greater legal security and transparency as regards the conditions for access to the markets”, the delegation stated. (FB/transl.fl)