Visiting Morocco on Monday 28 November, the president of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), Georges Dassis, said it was "essential for civil society organisations to be part of the dialogue" between the EU and Morocco – "for example, on issues linked to migration, mobility or trade agreements".
Civil societies are "crucial actors if we want fair and inclusive solutions", he said in an interview with Moroccan news agency MAP.
He added that "in order for a fruitful dialogue to take hold, it is important for civil society organisations to have the freedom and means to meet and give their opinions".
In countries on both sides of the Mediterranean, "a certain reduction can be noticed in the space given to civil society organisations over recent years. It is therefore important in relations between the European Union and Morocco for civil society to call for these freedoms to be ensured", Dassis said.
In addition, he congratulated Morocco on the results of the COP 22 climate change conference. "We have reached a point of absolute urgency", he said in his interview with MAP. The commitments taken in Marrakesh "are a necessary but insufficient starting point", he said. (Original version in French by Fathi B’Chir)