Morocco first country to benefit from new European program to support democracy

Morocco will be the first country to benefit from a new 4.8-million-euro European program to strengthen democratic reform in south Mediterranean countries, said sources in the Council of Europe in Strasburg.

The Council of Europe, which has signed an agreement to this effect with the European Union, “will begin to implement the regional program in Morocco,” an official of that body, distinct from the European Union founded in 1949 to support democracy, told MAP news agency.

A high level delegation of the Organization will travel to Rabat in mid-February in order to “consult the Moroccan authorities to identify specific projects where their expertise could assist the ongoing political, social and legal reforms in Morocco,” said the same source.

Morocco and other countries south of the Mediterranean “will be able to benefit from the strong expertise that the Council of Europe has made available to European countries in its 60 years of existence,” it stressed.