The most prominent headlines of Moroccan newspapers issued today, Wednesday, July 31, 2024

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Below is a presentation of the most prominent headlines in the national newspapers issued today, Wednesday, July 31, 2024:

His Majesty the King chairs a reception in the Strait on the occasion of the Glorious Throne Day (Le Matin)

His Majesty King Mohammed VI, accompanied by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan and His Royal Highness Prince Moulay Rachid, chaired, on Tuesday afternoon, at the M’diq-Fnideq Prefecture Square in the city of M’diq, a reception on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of His Majesty’s accession to the throne of his glorious ancestors. At the beginning of this ceremony, the flag was saluted to the tunes of the national anthem, while the artillery fired 21 rounds. Afterwards, a number of Moroccan and foreign figures came to greet His Majesty the King and congratulate him on this happy occasion.

In a very significant development, the French President officially announces to His Majesty the King that he “considers that the present and future of Western Sahara fall within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty” (Le Matin)

A statement from the Royal Office said that in a letter addressed to His Majesty King Mohammed VI, French President Emmanuel Macron officially announced to His Majesty the King that he “considers that the present and future of Western Sahara fall within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty.” In the same letter, which coincides with the 25th anniversary of the Throne Day, the President of the French Republic assured His Majesty the King of “the firmness of the French position on this issue linked to the national security of the Kingdom,” and that his country “intends to act in harmony with this position at the national and international levels.” To this end, President Emmanuel Macron stressed that “for France, autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the framework within which this issue must be resolved.”

His Royal Highness Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan chairs in Tetouan a luncheon hosted by the Prime Minister on the occasion of the Glorious Throne Day (Moroccan Sahara)

His Royal Highness Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan chaired, in Tetouan, a luncheon hosted by the Head of Government on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the accession of His Majesty King Mohammed VI to the throne of his glorious ancestors. The luncheon was attended by the Speakers of the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors, His Majesty’s advisors, members of the government, heads of constitutional bodies, senior officers of the Royal Armed Forces’ General Command, members of the diplomatic corps accredited to Morocco, and other civil and military figures.

The Interior Ministry is preparing an updated version of its administrative design for administrative decentralization (Moroccan Sahara)

The Minister of the Interior, Abdelouafi Laftit, revealed that his ministry is currently working on preparing an updated version of its administrative decentralization master plan for the period from 2024 to 2026, taking into account bringing services closer to users and keeping pace with the implementation of major state projects. The Interior Ministry is the first ministry to have its master plan approved by the Ministerial Committee for Administrative Decentralization, on June 18, 2019. The committee praised it and described it, according to what the government official confirmed in response to a written question from the Movement team, as being of high quality, as it meets the criteria of the reference managerial design model for administrative decentralization.

Messages of trust, hope and responsibility (Moroccan events)

Confidence in achievements, hope for the future, and collective responsibility to defend the country’s interests are the most important messages contained in the royal speech on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of His Majesty King Mohammed VI’s accession to the throne. At the same time, the issue of water occupied a significant part of the royal speech. His Majesty the King considered water a fateful issue and one of the challenges facing our country, reviewing the urgent measures taken and calling for a firm response to find appropriate solutions. However, internal issues, as His Majesty the King said, do not distract from the preoccupation with the Palestinian issue, which is why His Majesty called for an end to the war, considering that establishing security and stability in the region will not be complete except within the framework of the two-state solution.

Ministry of Health bans use of immunosuppressive drug (Moroccan events)

The Directorate of Medicines and Pharmacy announced the temporary suspension of the use of the drug (5% Immuglo) as a precautionary measure, while continuing to use the drug (5% V-Immune). The Directorate explained its decision by the monitoring of pharmacovigilance services of a clear increase in reports of side effects of these two drugs used to boost the immune system. The national pharmacovigilance system noted an increase in the frequency of adverse immune reactions, which were reported during the use of natural human immunoglobulin (5% Immuglo) and (5% V-Immune). The Directorate announced in a note in this regard that it will continue to investigate the reasons for the increase in the number of reports related to the use of the two drugs.

Al-Jawahiri: State aid should be an exception (Sabah)

Abdellatif Jouahri, Governor of Bank Al-Maghrib, while presenting the annual report on the economic and social situation to His Majesty the King, considered that access to state social assistance should be the exception and not the rule, and that the high number of beneficiaries constitutes in itself more of a challenge than an achievement. In this regard, the Governor of Bank Al-Maghrib indicated that the ultimate ambition is to provide a good education for every child, decent work for every active person, health services for all citizens, and a state that guarantees protection so that no citizen remains marginalized, stressing the need for all public policies, especially social ones, to contribute to achieving this ambition.

Al-Ahrar: Proud of the Kingdom’s achievements over 25 years (Sabah)

The National Rally of Independents party expressed its pride in the achievements made by the Kingdom over the past 25 years, most notably “the successive diplomatic victories, achieved thanks to the great efforts of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, in defense of our first national cause, the latest of which is the very significant development in the position of the French Republic.” The party recalled, in a statement, the other gains achieved during His Majesty’s reign, which “qualified our country to occupy a prestigious position in its regional and international environment, through a set of initiatives and achievements at the legal, democratic and institutional levels.” The party praised His Majesty’s call for more firmness in protecting public water property, activating the water police, and reducing the phenomenon of excessive exploitation and random pumping of water.

Official report monitors the difficult financial situation of the National Highway Company (Al-Akhbar)

The National Motorway Company is experiencing structural imbalances in its financial situation. The summary of the updated report on public institutions and enterprises, which was attached to the 2024 Finance Bill, revealed that the financial situation of the National Motorway Company is still experiencing a structural imbalance due to the increase in debt repayment services, which were mobilized to finance infrastructure. The report indicated that the volume of these debts has risen to levels that are not consistent with the model of this company, despite the recovery of its activity at levels close to those recorded during 2019. Returning to the report attached to the 2024 Finance Bill, the National Motorway Company’s debt for the year 2022 amounted to nearly 39.1 billion dirhams, recording an increase of 196 million dirhams compared to 2021.

Morocco Post issues a postage stamp and a commemorative paper on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Throne Day (Al-Akhbar)

Morocco Post has issued a postage stamp and a commemorative sheet to celebrate the 25th anniversary of His Majesty King Mohammed VI’s accession to the throne of his glorious ancestors. A statement from Morocco Post Group explained that this special edition highlights some of the major achievements that Morocco has witnessed over the past 25 years in various fields under the wise leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI. The statement added that some aspects of these achievements are shown on the commemorative sheet of this edition with decorative drawings representing a map of the Kingdom of Morocco open to Africa, highlighting the Morocco-Nigeria gas pipeline, the Mohammed VI Tower, the Grand Theater of Rabat, the Mohammed VI Football Academy, and an aerial view of the desalination plant in Agadir.

Moroccan Sahara.. Istiqlal Party praises the strategic dimensions of the French President’s decision (Al-Alam)

The Istiqlal Party praised the advanced position and strategic dimensions of the decision announced by the French Republic on the issue of territorial integrity, and its support for the autonomy plan in the Sahara under Moroccan sovereignty. A statement by the party’s executive committee confirmed that this decision will have “positive repercussions on the economic and social development of our southern provinces, which have engaged in a new model for the benefit of citizens in these regions, which have become a logistical hub attracting national and foreign investment in various sectors, especially in renewable energy, the blue economy, sustainable agriculture and other promising future professions.” It considered that this French recognition is a confirmation of the path of legitimacy and credibility adopted by the Kingdom, under the leadership of His Majesty the King, in defending the Moroccan Sahara and mobilizing international support for the autonomy proposal.

New phosphate port works in Laayoune nearing completion (Al Alam)

The progress rate of the new phosphate port in Laayoune, owned by Phosboucraa, a subsidiary of the Office Cherifien des Phosphates Group, which has mobilized a total amount of 5.2 billion dirhams, has reached 85 percent. This was announced during a field visit to this project, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Throne Day. This project aims to ensure commercial traffic of 5.2 million tons per year, which can be increased to 8.2 million tons per year, after adding a third lane during the second phase. The basic works of this huge project include the construction of a bridge to access the mooring works, 3.5 km long and 25 meters wide, in addition to protection works consisting of a protective barrier 920 meters long, and a seawater intake structure with a flow rate of up to 30,000 cubic meters per hour.

Global Innovation Index.. Morocco consolidates its superiority over North African countries (Al-Ummah Message)

Morocco maintained its lead among North African countries in the Global Innovation Index, according to a report published on The Global Economy website. The report, which based its classification on data from the World Intellectual Property Organization, Cornell University, and the European Institute of Business Administration, revealed that Morocco ranked 70th globally in the innovation index, out of 126 countries included in the classification, with an average of 28.4 points. According to the report, Morocco scored an average of 30.68 points as an annual average in the innovation index during the period between 2011 and 2023. Morocco topped the Maghreb countries in the Global Innovation Index, followed by Tunisia (75th globally), then Algeria, which fell to 119th globally, and Mauritania (127th globally).

Morocco and Nigeria discuss enhancing cooperation in the field of marine fishing (Al-Ummah Message)

Strengthening cooperation in the field of fisheries between Morocco and Nigeria was the focus of discussions held in Rabat by the Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests, Mohammed Sadiki, and the Minister of Maritime Economy and Blue Economy of the Republic of Nigeria, Adegboyega Oyetola, who is on a working visit to Morocco at the head of a high-level delegation. During this meeting, the two ministers praised the quality of the exceptional cooperation relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Federal Republic of Nigeria, under the enlightened leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI and the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Adekunle Tinubu. The discussions touched on a number of strategic axes in the fisheries sector, including aquaculture, scientific research, and the fisheries products valuation industry.

Water management.. His Majesty the King calls for more rigor in major projects (L’Inspiracion Eco)

Securing water resources is a national priority, and was therefore among the most important points raised in the royal speech delivered by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the day before yesterday, Monday, on the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Throne Day. His Majesty’s speech stressed the challenge of securing drinking water and irrigation water supplies in a context in which Morocco has witnessed, in recent decades, the worst droughts, and the situation is expected to worsen by 2050, under the influence of accelerating climate change. His Majesty the King stressed that one of the “major challenges” facing Morocco is “the water problem, which is becoming more acute due to drought, the impact of climate change, and the natural increase in demand.” His Majesty the King added that “this situation is also due to the delay in completing some projects programmed within the framework of the water policy.”

Civil Procedure Code: Continuous anger of lawyers (L’Economist)

The confrontation between the Minister of Justice and lawyers is still raging, in light of the escalating tension between the Association of Bar Associations in Morocco and Abdellatif Wahbi. This was evident during the sit-in organized by the aforementioned association last Saturday in front of Parliament in Rabat, which included more than a thousand lawyers. Moreover, the press release issued by the association for this sit-in set the course and showed the extent of the gap between the minister and lawyers, in protest against the legislative regression that affects the rights of litigants. The association sees this law as “an attack on the legal profession and a regression of constitutional gains,” which means that the dispute between the two parties has been exposed for the third time, after the series of preventing lawyers who do not have a health passport from entering the courts and obligating them to pay their taxes.