FOM Newsletter March 2003
Morocco Week in Review 
March 15 2003

A survey conducted in the city of Fes on domestic violence reveals that 7 women out of ten are victim of violence, and that 5 out of 10 do not report it.  Conducted by the association "initiatives for women rights protection (IDPF)," the study, covering some 995 women aged 20-70 from different social layers, aims to shed the light on the phenomenon, still a taboo in the Moroccan society.  Women were found to have sustained different kinds of violence: physical 49.5%, psychological 66.4%, sexual 26.7%, and material 16.7%. The study shows that women aged 20 to 40 represent 63.9% of violence victims, and the younger the age at the first marriage is, the worse violence is.  

According to the study, the phenomenon has noting to do with women's education, since 40.3% of the victims received higher education. However, there seem to be more cases involving housewives and inactive women than with those with a professional activity.  The researchers also highlight the link between the nature and size of the dwelling and the frequency of violence acts. It was deduced that 8 out of 10 women living in shanty towns are victims of violence.  As to the profile of violent husbands, seven out of ten, are from rural areas, 76.4% are almost illiterate and 87% jobless. A rate of 43.7% of the victims keep silent about such acts while 17% chose to leave home and 2.7% go to the police.  Several factors including illiteracy, unemployment, shame, lack of family solidarity and rigidity of the family law contribute to their silence. 

http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/030310/2003031022.html 

Morocco's Human Rights Minister, Mohamed Aujjar highlighted, here on Friday, Moroccan women's role in public affairs management, based on equal political rights with men. Taking the floor in an encounter held under the theme: "Women and Responsibility," Aujjar stressed this equality has been consecrated by all the Kingdom's constitutions ever since 1962.  The Moroccan official noted however that despite this constitutional achievement, women's access to political offices remains well under the state's aspirations and the elites'. Women's fully-fledged access to such offices has been impeded by some masculine mindsets, he said, attributing women's current situation to the society's structures, family, school and to the political parties themselves. He further stressed that the upcoming communal elections will tantamount to a test of credibility for the discourses of political parties and elites in terms of their actual support to women candidates in these elections. 

For Yasmina Baddou, Secretary of State in charge of family, solidarity and social action, the International Women's Day takes place in a juncture marked by a policy of overture initiated by King Mohammed VI, which was reflected, among others, in a rate of 10% of women deputies in the House of Representatives (lower chamber). Another highlight of this period is that Moroccans are waiting the publication of a reformed Mudawana (family code) by the Royal Consultative Commission in charge of the Family Code Reform, She went on. The Commission will submit its new text in three or four months, as announced in an interview by the Commission's Chairman, M'Hamed Boucetta.

http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/030310/2003031023.html 

As Morocco is braced for deep reforms of its sea fisheries sectors, the economic capital city of Casablanca is hosting next April 10-13 the 6th international sea fair. Moroccan minister of sea fisheries, Tayeb Rhafes, explained at a press conference that this major annual event is held as Morocco has devised a program-contract that seeks to make of the sector an engine of social-economic development. The fair will, therefore, showcase for Moroccan and foreign professionals new sea products and partnership prospects. The sector employs over 400,000 persons and generates a turnover of 16 billion DH (US$ 1.6 billion). 

A fleet of 350 freezer-vessels, 1,800 coastal fishing ships and 17,000 conventional fishing units operate along Morocco's 3,500 km of Mediterranean and Atlantic shores. The program-contract lays a special emphasis on safeguarding sea riches by clearly defining private and public operators' duties, diversifying activities, through the development of aquaculture, while seeing that Moroccans are the first beneficiaries of the sectors in terms of job and wealth creation. Other actions include a ship-building unit to industrialize at a competitive price fishing units. Investment in the project is estimated at 7 billion DH (US$ 700 million).

Moroccan officials voiced the Kingdom's will to develop Morocco's economic cartography and set up a data base, adding that his department also endeavours to develop access to the global positioning system (GPS), as well as "Galeleo" system, which is a European satellite navigation means, managed by the European Space Agency. This came in talks in Rabat between The European Union Commission Vice-President responsible for Energy and Transport, Loyola de Palacio and Morocco's Commerce, Industry and Telecommunications, Rachid Talbi El Alami.

http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/030308/2003030816.html 

RABAT, Mar.10 - The text of the new Mudawana (family code) will be  revolutionary after the Mudawana reform consultative commission closes its works, said head of the commission M'hamed Boucetta. "The new code will be revolutionary and will be accepted by all parties, if the fundamental bases of Islam and progress of the society are taken into account, Boucetta said in an interview published Monday by the daily "Liberation". Boucetta said he received hundreds of research papers, notes and viewpoints from associations, and there is no major divergence or antinomy that will cause conflicts. "The commission is examining provisions that can be revised or new ones that can be added," he said, underlining that its objective is to submit to king Mohammed VI "a project that respects the fundaments and principles of Islam, and to find in Islam approaches that enable society to move forward in pace with the world evolution. 

"In the history of religions, it is Islam that offered the most to women as regards their rights and preservation of their property," Boucetta went on. M'hammed Boucetta, who was appointed in January, said it is a stroke of good fortune that the reform of the family code coincides with the creation of special family tribunals and an allowance fund" that will give divorced women subsistence means. He said the reformed text will be issued next May, under the name "Family Mudawana (code)" instead of "personal status Mudawana." Of the outstanding role Moroccan women now play in several sectors, Boucetta said "women, and it is their most legitimate right, are holding now top positions, thanks to their competence, intelligence and work," and our laws, especially those regulating family matters, must accompany this progress. Speakers at the opening session deplored the low level of inter-Arab investments which did not exceed 2.5 billion dollars in 2001, which is 0.34 of the global foreign direct investments (60.2 billion dollars).

The national coordination commission of women associations published a memorandum on Saturday (women's international day) in which it puts forward claims to promote women's situation. The memo called for the creation of a senior women council and a governmental structure to follow-up issues related to women, the ratification of the protocol annexed to the convention on fighting all kinds of discrimination against women and adapting national legislation to international conventions. The commission also requests the amendment of the nationality code in such a way to guarantee that children born to women married to foreigners obtain the Moroccan citizenship. It also called for reviewing the penal code to better protect women against violence and to guarantee gender equality. Other grievances include reviewing the personal statute code (moudawana) to enhance equality in rights and duties between husbands and wives, placing households under the couple's joint responsibility and setting minimum marriage age of girls at 18 years. The women associations further want divorced women to be entitled to half of properties accumulated during marriage. As regards labor rights, the commission recommended amending the labor code and reserving to women a minimum quota of 30% of executive positions.

A public demonstration is planned for 6.30pm this evening (Wednesday) in Casablanca in support of the 14 metal fans who were jailed on March 6 for "possessing objects which infringe morals" and "acts capable of undermining the faith of a Muslim". The 14 - who included nine members of bands Nekros, Infected Brain and Reborn as well as five fans - were described as "Satanists" and arrested on February 16. They ere found guilty and sentenced on March, receiving sentences ranging from three months to a year. Since the sentencing, human rights campaigners and youth groups in Morocco have led active protests in support of the 14. So too have the liberal members of the Moroccan and French press who have written rallying editorials. 

"We, the young people of Morocco, wish to declare our support for our rocker friends who have been imprisoned for their love of music and of hard rock, and whose only crime is that they've chosen to express themselves in their own way and through their music," reads one entry on a growing petition which has been set up to support those convicted. Today's protest will consist of a sit-in that will take place in Casablanca town centre in front of the courtroom where the 14 were sentenced. Organizers are urging those attending to wear black and bring candles. This is in direct response to the judge's questioning of the 14's favored choice of black T-shirts and his interrogation of on of those sentenced over their predilection for lighting candles. Thursday is likely to see the protests continue with a gig being planned at the Maarif Hall in Casablanca. This is expected to include further round table discussions concerning the freedom of expression in Morocco. The protests so far have had an effect with delegates visiting the Minister Of Justice Mohamed Bouzoubaa. Latest reports in French broadsheet Le Monde suggest that 11 of those convicted have been released on bail pending further appeal.

Barcelona, Mar 12 (EFE).- Morocco can learn a great deal about environmental management policy from the experiences of the northeastern Spanish region of Catalonia, said Moroccan Minister for Housing, Urban Development and the Environment Mohamed Elyazghi "Catalonia has been through a process of industrialization that began in the 19th century and is at the forefront of efforts to ensure the protection of the Mediterranean ecosystem," the minister said Tuesday in Barcelona. Under a cooperation accord signed last summer in Rabat, the Catalonian regional government is hosting the encounter bringing together officials and technical experts from the Catalonian Water Authority and Morocco's National Bureau of Fresh Water Resources. They will be exchanging viewpoints and drafting joint cooperation initiatives to which both countries could contribute involving water management, environmental clean up and waste processing issues. The regional government's environmental affairs counselor Ramon Espadaler said that Catalonia could also learn from Morocco regarding how to balance economic feasibility and social welfare considerations in devising and implementing environmental policy

al/bl |K:CYT:CIENCIA-TECNOLOGIA,AMBIENTE-NATURALEZA| |N:Normal | 03/12/10-24/03 Publication: EFE News Service Distributed by Financial Times Information Limited

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The Moroccan government will submit to the parliament's two chambers an anti-corruption law project by spring 2004, announced the minister of public sectors modernization, Najib Zerouali "We are currently honing the text, but anyway, it will be ready for the parliament's 2004 spring session, he told London-based daily Asharq Al-Awsat.  He explained that the law project is part of the government's measures to raise public standards that include ministers' declaration of property, consolidating civil servants control mechanisms and revising the law on public projects allocation. Asked on the experience of regional investment centers, he answered that this formula, that allows investors to conduct all administrative procedures and obtain all needed licenses in one administration, has been positive so far. This experience, he went on, which has given concrete content to the decentralization and de-concentration policy adopted by the kingdom, has however revealed some administrative constraints that are being addressed by the government.

The sixth Casablanca international marathon to be held next Sunday will feature this year novelties meant to improve the event timing, including the introduction of a pacemaker and awards for the best timing. The marathon organizers said at a press conference the pacemaker who will be running the first 25 km will be given between US$ 4,000 and US$ 4,500. Performance awards will reward athletes who will run the distance in a timing ranging between 2h 10mn and 2h 12 min. From 2,700 participants who registered for the first marathon in 1997, the 5th edition saw the participation of 7,800 and organizers expect 10,000 to 15,000 participants in this year's marathon. Famed athletes from Kenya, Ethiopia, Russia, Italy, Djibouti and France, in addition to Moroccan athletes including title holder Rachid Khanmouni and record-holder Boubker El Afoui (2h 10'33") are expected to show up. The Casablanca marathon is part of the Euro-Mediterranean Grand Prize set up in October 2001 in partnership with the Berlin and Palermo marathons organizers.

As countries around the world scramble to sign free trade agreements (FTAs) to keep up with global competition, Egypt has been chasing after key deals with its two biggest trade partners. Together, the European Union (EU) and the United States account for 70 percent of Egypt's foreign trade. "Free trade agreements with the European Union and the US are the two agreements that really matter for the Egyptian economy," said Ahmed Galal, executive director of the Egyptian Center for Economic Studies (ECES). But as the government makes the final pen strokes to ratify a free trade partnership with the EU, uncertainty continues to cloud the prospects of securing similar access to the US mega-market. At an Economist business conference in late January, Prime Minister Atef Ebeid said FTAs were the key to Egypt's economic development. The local market "cannot absorb all of the capabilities being built," Ebeid said. "We must penetrate other markets with free trade agreements." Ebeid pointed first to the Egypt-EU Association Agreement, which, as of press time, was in the final stages of ratification by the People's Assembly. The EU bloc is Egypt's largest trading partner. 

In 2000, EU member states imported EUR3.36 billion ($3.62 billion) of products from Egypt, while EU exports to Egypt amounted to EUR7.81 billion ($8.41 billion). "In one go, Egypt can open up its market to a whole continent," said Michele Villani, a commercial counselor for the European Commission delegation in Egypt. Currently composed of 15 countries, EU membership will expand to 25 by next year, and to 30 over 10 years. Under the Euro-Mediterranean framework, launched in 1995, the EU has implemented or is close to concluding free trade agreements with Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Algeria, Lebanon and Syria. Under the EU-Egypt agreement - still awaiting ratification by 12 EU member states - industrial duties are to be dismantled completely over 12 to 15 years, while tariff quotas granted for various agricultural products will increase, especially for potatoes, horticulture produce, oranges, and dried and frozen vegetables. But there are still restrictions. Ebeid said limits on agricultural exports,  which remain under the EU partnership agreement, would impede the growth of a potentially lucrative sector for Egypt. "If trade restrictions are lifted and investment in agriculture expands, Egypt could quadruple its agricultural exports immediately," he said. But according to Villani, the agricultural concessions granted to Egypt are already much bigger than those achieved by other countries hoping to compete with Europe's generally protected agricultural industry. For better or worse, Egypt "must make the best of the agreement," Villani said. "It will help reconnect Egypt to the international marketplace." while the EU agreement bodes well for economic growth, it could lose its shimmer if Egypt fails to also acquire free access to the $10 trillion dollar US market. 

Independent economists (along with US trade officials) characterize the European partnership model as "shallow" compared to the prized American FTA. Ebeid expressed only a hesitant "hope" that Egypt would sign an FTA with the United States. A high-level Egyptian delegation visiting Washington, DC in early February - including Minister of Foreign Trade Youssef Boutros-Ghali and Gamal Mubarak, head of the NDP's recently created policy secretariat and son of President Hosni Mubarak - made a renewed appeal for an FTA. According to a Washington Post report on February 8, the US State Department is pushing for the agreement as part of its Middle East Partnership Initiative, but trade officials - under US Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick - continue to resist. Touting US FTAs as the "gold standard," a trade official with the US embassy said countries must remove tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade to be considered for an FTA. "We want to negotiate the agreement when the economy is in a position to handle it - after the reforms are put in place," he said.  Recent steps to liberalize the exchange rate, deal with customs barriers and protect intellectual property rights would further Egypt's chances, the official said. But with foreign direct investment dwindling and US economic assistance to Egypt being gradually scaled back, local economists say that signing an FTA cannot wait. 

A US-Egypt free trade agreement, moreover, could help to address the terribly skewed balance of trade between the two countries. In 2001, US exports to Egypt were worth $3.6 billion, but imports from Egypt amounted to only $882 million - a trade deficit that accounts for around 3 percent of Egypt's GDP. In an ECES report in 2001, Galal argued that the "stubborn trade deficit" was "not sustainable." While trade with Egypt is a relatively miniscule part of the US economy, Galal said that an FTA would be in the interest of American businesses too. US exports to Egypt, he contended, could decline as Europeans gain duty-free access, and as regional trading blocs in Africa and the Arab world become more integrated. In other words, the United States had better make a deal with Egypt soon - or be edged out of the local market. Already, however, Egypt is feeling the pinch from neighboring countries that enjoy lower prices for their products in the United States. Right next door, Jordan and Israel are basking in the sun with their FTAs, while to the south, sub-Saharan African countries have secured substantial freedom of movement for their goods under the US-initiated African Growth & Opportunity Act.

To the west, Morocco is preparing for the second round of its FTA negotiations with the United States, scheduled for March. Peter Haas, an economic counselor with the US embassy in Rabat, said at the first round ofnegotiations in January that both sides had "committed to an FTA by the end of 2003." Haas said the FTA would be a "lever" for economic reform, forcing Morocco to adopt more transparent legislation and open up sectors such as financial services and pharmaceuticals to foreign investment. Under the US-Morocco FTA, tariffs on all products, including agriculture and services (which are excluded in Morocco's EU partnership agreement), will be fully eliminated. This could be socially explosive, since 40 percent of Moroccans work in farming. "The challenge will be to help these people find a transition into something different," Haas said. Outside the region, Canada and Mexico are also in the US free trade community, while FTAs with Chile and Singapore are almost up-and-running. South Africa and Australia are next on the list for negotiations. "There's a lot on the agenda, but the administration has been very aggressive at pursuing bilateral trade agreements," said the embassy official in Cairo. He added that Egypt should engage more seriously in the US-Egypt Trade & Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) Council - formed in 1999 to promote freer trade and bolster economic ties. The council is not a substitute for an FTA, the US official said, but active participation "improves the ground and likelihood of us moving towards FTA negotiations." Furthermore, as the Washington Post article implied, Egypt might secure a favorable trade position - along with extra aid - in return for supporting a US-led war against Iraq. Members of the US-Egypt Business Council (formerly known as the Presidents' Council) anticipate an FTA with Egypt coming sooner rather than later. "My very strong sense is that the US government is reasonably close to announcing the start of the discussions with Egypt for a free trade agreement," said American businessman Don Stewart, chairman and CEO of Ridgewood Egypt for Infrastructure Projects. 

Reorganized last year, the council provides a forum for 27 prominent private sector businesspeople - 14 American and 13 Egyptian - to advise each other and their respective governments on the best way to manage bilateral business relations and lay the basis for free trade. Council co-chairman Galal El Zorba, chairman of Nile Clothing Company, said in January that promoting investment, trade and technology transfer could enlarge the bilateral relationship. Egyptian members of the council are actively traveling and speaking throughout the United States to raise Egypt's profile in government and business circles. On the American side, Stewart noted that cumbersome customs procedures and difficulties in resolving business disputes with Egyptian government ministries must still be remedied to prepare for an FTA. ECES director Galal, however, said the "driving force" towards securing an FTA would not be economic reform, but rather playing up Egypt's key role in guarding regional peace and stability. "The economic case is there," he said. "But I think the issue is going to be settled on political grounds." Arab trade remains elusive With European and American free trade package deals dominating many Arab states' economic agendas, smaller regional trade blocs are struggling to get off the ground. In the Middle East and Africa, years of effort to integrate Arab markets have yielded only feeble results, according to Mohamed 

Al Nasour, a free trade representative at the Arab League's Cairo office. "It's not easy to create a new trade zone," he said. Al Nasour admitted to being "very pessimistic" about the progress of inter-Arab integration. Pan-Arab trade is miniscule, with no more than 10 percent of the concerned countries' foreign trade occurring within the region. "According to trade indicators, we're still not achieving what we are looking to achieve in the Arab free trade area," he said. "We have a lot of competition from the EU and the Far East." Fourteen of the Arab League's 22 members are also part of the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA). On January 1 of this year, those 14 countries reduced customs duties between each other by 60 percent. Signatories of GAFTA - which was negotiated at the 1996 Arab Summit in Cairo - are expected to eliminate tariffs on industrial goods by 2005 and also gradually liberalize trade in agricultural products. In addition to GAFTA, Egypt is a member of the 20-country Common Market for Eastern & Southern Africa (COMESA). Along with removing tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade, COMESA has long-term plans for a customs union, monetary union and, ultimately, an African Common Market. Al Nasour said that boosting pan-Arab economic integration is the "real dream" of the League's Economic & Social Council, which meets twice a year to iron out details. But with many countries in the region already offering freer access to some non-Arab states than to Arab ones, making the dream a reality will be arduous. "There is a huge competitiveness coming from other countries. We need more time to advance in this region," Al Nasour said.

Daliah Merzaban © Business Monthly 2003

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