Weekly headlines.

Agadir24

Below is a review of the most important headlines of the weekly newspapers:

Wahbi: “I want Moroccans to have clearer rights” (TelQuel)

Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi ruled out any connection between the timing of his announcement that it was illegal to request marriage contracts in hotels and the 2030 World Cup that Morocco is preparing to host. “There are still six years left until the 2030 World Cup, and by then a lot of water will have flowed under the bridge and a lot of things will have changed,” he explained. “Above all, I want Moroccan citizens to have clear rights and for these rights to be protected,” he added in an interview with the newspaper. He stressed that the state can intervene in the public space because it is its responsibility to protect public order as well as the security and freedoms of citizens, but “when a citizen closes the door of his home or his hotel room,” it “no longer has the right to interfere in his private space.”

French legislative elections: What risks might the Moroccan economy face if the National Rally comes to power? (TelQuel)

The French are due to go to the polls on Sunday, July 7, and the possibility that the National Rally party will win an absolute majority in the National Assembly cannot be ruled out. However, the emergence of a far-right government might have significant economic repercussions for the kingdom. In addition to measures once morest immigrants and dual nationals, the National Rally program includes several reforms that might threaten the kingdom’s economy, including stopping remittances from the Moroccan community, reviewing free trade agreements, banning the activities of Moroccan banks in France, and repatriating French companies based in Morocco… The promises of members of the far-right parties are abundant and worry some actors. However, on both sides of the Mediterranean, experts question the seriousness of the promises announced by the National Rally party.

Decline in wheat production: a severe blow to the trade balance (Finance News Hebdo)

Following the expected significant decline in wheat production this year, Morocco will have to import around 70 million quintals to cover domestic needs. Mohamed Jadri, economic expert and director of the Government Action Observatory, stressed that this decline in production will significantly impact the country’s trade balance following increased reliance on imports. “This year, the cost of cereal imports will exceed 100 billion dirhams, paid in hard currency,” he added, stressing that this will negatively impact our trade balance and jeopardize our food sovereignty. In this context, the Food and Agriculture Organization stressed the need to strengthen initiatives aimed at mitigating the effects of climate change and diversifying sources of wheat supply.

The need for digital therapy to combat “cash” addiction (Finance News Hebdo)

Morocco faces a unique and worrying situation: around 30 percent of its GDP is in cash. The introduction of a future digital currency, the e-dirham, is seen as a potential solution to reduce cash. A committee has been set up, comprising banks, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and researchers, whose mission will be to study the root causes of this dependence on cash and identify the best solutions to address it. This initiative aims not only to modernize the financial system, but also to reduce the informal economy and promote a more transparent and traceable economy. The transition to a more digital financial system is a key step to overcoming this cash dilemma.

Airbus Helicopters strengthens its presence in Morocco (La Nouvelle Tribune)

Airbus Helicopters has decided to open a new branch in Morocco, further strengthening its presence in the country. The branch will serve as a customer support centre and will support 60 Airbus helicopters in the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy and Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie. It will evolve into a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) service centre with new dedicated facilities and will become Airbus Helicopters’ regional hub for West Africa. A new training centre with simulators will be connected to it and is designed to accommodate trainee pilots from all over the world. “The establishment of the Airbus Helicopters headquarters in Morocco is the first step in an ambitious plan to create a new regional hub for all Airbus helicopters operating in West Africa,” said Mickaël Bertrand, Managing Director of Airbus Helicopters Morocco.

Cities without Slums Program: 347,277 families benefit by the end of June 2024 (La Nouvelle Tribune)

The Minister of National Land Use Planning, Urban Planning, Housing and City Policy, Fatima Zahra El Mansouri, reported on Wednesday at the House of Representatives that the number of families that benefited from the national program “Cities without Slums” reached 347,277 families by the end of June 2024, at a cost of 45.7 billion dirhams. The minister explained, in a presentation she made before the Committee on the Interior, Territorial Communities, Housing and City Policy, that 117,505 families remain, or 25 percent, out of 465,000 families that were counted by the end of June 2024. The government official noted that 24,804 of these families are assigned to ready units and others under construction, and 92,701 families are not programmed at the level of cities and centers included in the program without slums, while 11,938 families are not programmed at the level of cities and centers that are not included in the program without slums.