Marrakech: Speaker of the House of Councillors, Mohamed Ould Errachid, on Friday called on parliaments to contribute to the development of a regional system capable of turning common challenges into sustainable opportunities for development and prosperity.
According to Agence Marocaine De Presse, Ould Errachid emphasized at the opening of the Marrakech Parliamentary Economic Forum for the Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf regions that the four strategic themes discussed during the forum-trade, debt, artificial intelligence (AI), and the blue economy-illustrate the ability of parliaments to build a regional framework transforming shared challenges into development opportunities.
He asserted that Morocco acts as a strategic bridge linking the Euro-Mediterranean, Gulf, and African regions, spaces where interests align and opportunities for creating shared value multiply, adhering to a “win-win” approach. At the Euro-Mediterranean level, the Kingdom’s advanced strategic partnership with the European Union has strengthened the integration of the national economy into regional value chains. Similarly, Morocco-Gulf cooperation has evolved into a driver of transregional cooperation, especially in renewable energy and green hydrogen.
Ould Errachid further highlighted that African cooperation fosters mutual empowerment, stability, and shared prosperity, as manifested in various Royal initiatives, including the Atlantic Initiative, the Africa-Atlantic Gas Pipeline, and the Adaptation of African Agriculture Initiative.
He also mentioned that adopting legislation ensuring financial discipline could act as a “bulwark against the debt spiral,” while free trade agreements facilitate knowledge and technology transfer. He emphasized that regulating AI and the digital revolution would ensure they become development drivers rather than sources of inequality or vulnerability.
The House of Councillors, he noted, is committed to coordinating efforts and launching legislative and practical initiatives to realize this vision. This commitment draws on its constitutional specificity, which combines territorial and economic dimensions, enabling alignment with market transformations and contemporary development dynamics.
The fourth edition of the Marrakech Parliamentary Economic Forum, held under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, continues the momentum to establish a leading parliamentary economic platform for the Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf regions. The forum facilitates dialogue among parliamentarians, policymakers, and economic stakeholders on development and economic issues of common interest.
This edition will also host a special session focusing on Africa, under the theme: ‘The African Continental Free Trade Area and the Interconnection of Euro-African Value Chains: Towards an Integrated Space for Co-production, Investment and Economic Resilience.’