Brussels, 10/03/2006 (Agence Europe) - In Brussels, on 9 March, President Barroso received Morocco's Prime Minister Driss Jettou, who also had talks with Benita Ferrero-Waldner, European External Relations Commissioner, and, on the same day, met Elmar Brok, Chair of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs, Hans-Gert Pöttering, President of the EPP-ED Group, and Hannes Swoboda, Vice-President of the PES Group.
Mr Jettou's visit one year after implementation of the EU/Morocco action plan in the context of the European Neighbourhood Policy has made it possible to measure the distance covered and, according to the Moroccan press, Mr Barroso hailed the quality of these relations and the reforms undertaken byMorocco. “In addition to the financial contribution, which was important for us, was the important impact that reforms undertaken together would have”, Mr Jettou said, restating his country's commitment to go further in its partnership with the European Union. Morocco in fact claims it is entitled to have a special status within the Euro-Mediterranean whole. These privileged relations “allow us to call for an advanced status or a differentiated approach for Morocco in the context of the new neighbourhood policy”, Mr Jettou told the national press, recalling Morocco's participation in the Galileo programme, the open skies agreement that Morocco has signed, the launching of the first round of talks on the agricultural chapter (Ed.: 22 February), and the initiation of discussions on 23 March on the trade in services, on the occasion of the Marrakesh meeting of Euro-Mediterranean trade ministers.
The Commission also appears convinced of the quality of this relationship. Morocco “did not wait for the action plan to be negotiated with the EU before undertaking reforms that affect several areas, mainly the levelling of the economy thus creating the best conditions for foreign investment, investment that is absolutely necessary especially for the creation of jobs for young people”, President Barroso said, asserting that “Morocco will receive a positive response to its hope that, in the coming period, it will receive even more sizeable aid”. Discussions with Ms Ferrero-Waldner confirmed the strengthening of the bilateral relationship and the great development potential in Euro-Moroccan cooperation, considered far more concrete than that in the Euro-Mediterranean overall framework. One of the most ambitious projects will consist of organising, in July in Marrakesh, a trilateral meeting on immigration bringing together countries of origin (essentially sub-Saharan Africa), transit countries (Mediterranean) and destination countries (EU countries).