At the 12th High Level Meeting between Spain and Morocco, held recently in Rabat, a series of agreements worth a total of €800 million were signed, particularly in the energy and water sectors. The funds will allow for the construction of new green infrastructure in the Cherifian kingdom and will contribute to the strengthening of cooperation between the two countries, which share one of the shortest international borders at 14 kilometres.
After a diplomatic crisis over the Western Sahara issue, Morocco and Spain are gradually normalising their bilateral relations. It is in this framework that the Spanish government is mobilising 800 million euros (8.7 billion Moroccan dirhams) to support sustainable growth in the Cherifian kingdom.
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Part of this funding is intended for the implementation of projects to “decarbonise the economy”, particularly in the fields of renewable energy and energy efficiency. For example, the electricity interconnection in the opposite direction, from Spain to Morocco, will be strengthened, as well as the construction of infrastructures for the development of green hydrogen.
Cooperation between Rabat and Madrid also extends to the field of water. Faced with water stress, Morocco will benefit from Spain’s technical expertise “in desalination, integrated water resource management and the reuse of treated wastewater” thanks to an agreement signed between the Loukkos Hydraulic Basin Agency (ABHL) of Tangiers and the Segura Hydrographic Confederation (CHS), the body that manages and regulates water, irrigation and all activities in the Spanish Segura river basin and its tributaries.
Building climate resilience
The Spanish funding will also be used to set up early warning systems in Moroccan cities to prevent coastal erosion and extreme heat. These facilities will be jointly managed by Morocco’s Directorate General of Meteorology (DGM) and the National Meteorological Agency of the Kingdom of Spain (AEMET).
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Moroccan-Spanish cooperation is gaining momentum at a time when the European Union (EU) is implementing its “green partnership” in the Cherifian Kingdom. The agreement concerns the development of electric mobility and renewable energies, notably biomass, green hydrogen and marine energy. This partnership on the decarbonisation of Moroccan industry will contribute to the reduction of 45.5% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030, as part of the implementation of the Paris Agreement (COP21) on climate.
Benoit-Ivan Wansi
