Rabat / Brussels, 11/01/2007 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission delegation in Rabat is to hold a national conference on 15 January for launching the activities of PAAP 2, the Programme d'Appui aux Associations Professionnelles (support for professional associations), which thus enters its second phase. This is a programme financed by the European Commission (€5.845 million) in liaison with the Confédération Générale des Entreprises du Maroc, CGEM, the employers' association. The delegation points out that the PAAP works as a subsidy mechanism, to the advantage of professional associations, to increase the competitiveness of Moroccan companies and to strengthen their capacity. Many actions and measures have already been implemented by Morocco during the first phase (between 2002 and 2005), the delegation notes, but “there are many other associations that need structural strengthening and support” for their members. (fb)