European Commission approves €135 million in grants to Morocco for 2010

The European Commission today approved a new financial support package of €135 million for Morocco. The package, in the form of grants, will support reform by the Moroccan Government in three areas: agricultural policy with the 'Plan Maroc Vert', the strategy for integrating populations living in remote areas and the literacy strategy.

The grants amounting to €135 million (i.e. around 1375 million Moroccan dirham) are aimed at directly improving the lives of the Moroccan population. “Our aid programme reflects the special nature of the partnership between the European Union and Morocco in the context of Advanced Status relations. It also attests to the very great importance that we attribute to the reforms implemented by the Kingdom of Morocco to strengthen social cohesion and combat poverty”, said Štefan Füle, the Commissioner in charge of Enlargement and the European Neighbourhood Policy.

Sectoral support programme for agricultural policy (€70 million)

The priority for this programme is to provide support for the second pillar of the Plan Maroc Vert (the PMV) targeting small-scale or 'inclusive' farming. It will contribute towards strengthening the livestock and crop‑growing sectors (mainly the production of olive oil, dates, red meat and local specialities), with the emphasis on marketing and production quality and on increasing producer revenue and creating jobs. In view of the importance of supporting a rapid rollout of the PMV, the financial allocation initially set aside by the European Commission has been increased by an additional €10 million.

Sectoral support programme for the strategy for integrating populations living in remote areas (€55 million)

This programme will provide support to the National Rural Roads Programme (PNRR II) designed to improve the access of isolated communities to the road network via all‑weather roads. It will focus in particular on the implementation of road network maintenance plans and developing the capacity of these communities to manage the road networks.

Support programme for the implementation of the literacy strategy (€10 million)

Following on from the ongoing European Commission programme, this additional support is aimed at raising literacy rates, bolstering the intervention capacity of the institutions and NGOs involved in implementing the strategy, improving the quality of training, introducing schemes for certifying the skills acquired through training courses and organising opportunities for social and socio‑professional integration.