Catalonian Economic Delegation Kicks Off Three-Day Mission to Morocco
The mission is organized by the Catalonian Employers' Confederation, known locally as Foment del Treball (FDT), in partnership with the Morocco-Spain Economic Council (CEMAES). About thirty entrepreneurs representing strategic sectors with high cooperation potential are participating in the delegation.
Led by Josep Sánchez Llibre, president of FDT, the delegation will visit Tangier, Rabat, and Casablanca. The group includes businesses specializing in international logistics, customs management, engineering, construction, sustainable chemistry, digital solutions (SaaS), and industrial production of technical materials.
During their stay, the Spanish delegation will hold meetings with Moroccan institutions including the Regional Investment Center of Tangier, the Ministry of Investment, Convergence and Evaluation of Public Policies, and Casablanca Finance City.
The visit agenda includes tours of strategic industrial sites such as Tangier Automotive City and the Nouaceur Technopole.
Networking opportunities are also planned with key officials, including Ryad Mezzour, Morocco's Minister of Industry and Commerce, Omar Moro, president of the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, and Enrique Ojeda Vila, Spain's Ambassador to Morocco.
This mission is part of FDT's international projection strategy, which aims to foster sustainable economic partnerships. The initiative seeks to bring Moroccan and Catalonian productive ecosystems closer together while encouraging interregional dialogue between Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
Morocco, Spain's top trading partner in Africa
The visit coincides with heightened trade and investment flows across the Strait of Gibraltar—momentum that is set to grow further as both countries, alongside Portugal, prepare to co-host the 2030 World Cup.
Spain has been Morocco's top trading partner for over a decade, with bilateral trade reaching a historic record of over €22.5 billion in 2024.
Spanish exports to Morocco reached €10.843 billion in 2024, showing a 68% increase. Imports from Morocco were valued at €8.220 billion, growing by 9.1% during the same period.
Approximately 61% of Spanish exports to Africa go to Morocco.
Morocco ranks as Spain's third-largest trading partner outside the European Union, behind only the United States and the United Kingdom. Since 2014, Spain has been both Morocco's primary customer and supplier, with 18-20% of Morocco's foreign trade conducted with Spain.
Spanish investment in Morocco exceeded €250 million in both 2022 and 2023. Spanish companies invest primarily in Morocco's automotive industry, textiles, agribusiness, and tourism sectors, while Moroccan investments in Spain reached nearly €40 million by late September 2024.
Read also: Spain Commits €340 Million to Casablanca Desalination Plant
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Maroc
an hour ago
- Maroc
First Regional Green Economy Forum Kicks Off in Tangier
The first edition of the Regional Green Economy Forum (RGEF) kicked off on Thursday in Tangier with a focus on the theme 'Empowering African Cities, Paving the Path to Carbon Neutrality.' This event, organized under the High Patronage of HM King Mohammed VI, is an initiative of the World Green Economy Organization (WGEO), supported by the Moroccan Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima Regional Council, and United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa), with the aim of promoting sustainable solutions to support African cities. The Forum brings together experts and representatives from local governments, national, African, and international institutions, to support Africa's efforts toward sustainable, low-carbon urban development, strengthen cooperation between local, national, and international actors, encourage the exchange of experiences and best practices, and promote investment in green infrastructure, renewable energy, and sustainable mobility. The Forum also serves as a platform for discussion on current themes such as multi-level governance, energy transition, circular economy, sustainable mobility, and financing mechanisms, with the aim of supporting strategies that lead African cities toward carbon neutrality. Morocco's Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Leila Benali, reiterated the Kingdom's commitment to supporting joint African action to build a green, resilient, and prosperous future for the continent, one that meets the aspirations of its people and protects the rights of current and future generations. In a video message, the minister emphasized that Morocco, under the farsighted leadership of HM King Mohammed VI, has made South-South cooperation a strategic choice and a central pillar of its foreign policy, based on active solidarity and integration, highlighting several pioneering initiatives launched by the Kingdom to strengthen climate action in Africa. WGEO President Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer noted that the Forum is taking place as climate change becomes a tangible reality, with African cities on the front lines facing rising temperatures, water scarcity, and environmental degradation. He pointed out that these challenges are also drivers of positive transformation toward sustainable development. He stated that WGEO, through the Global Alliance on Green Economy (GAGE), which includes representatives from 100 countries, works to ensure inclusive, resilient green growth, with Africa as 'the cornerstone of this alliance,' aiming to build fair and sustainable cities capable of adapting to climate change by strengthening their capacity to develop feasible green projects, renewable energy solutions, sustainable mobility, and waste-to-energy initiatives. President of the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima Regional Council, Omar Moro, emphasized the region's aspiration to become a model of green economy transition, leveraging its role as a bridge between Africa and Europe, underlining its efforts to promote investment in renewable energy, develop sustainable infrastructure, support green innovation, raise awareness of the green economy, and engage citizens in environmental preservation. He also stressed that the Forum is an effective platform for experience-sharing between local governments, the public and private sectors, and civil society, helping unite the efforts of city leaders and local stakeholders to design practical projects and foster public-private partnerships aimed at achieving carbon neutrality in urban areas. Secretary General of UCLG Africa, Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, pointed out that although Africa contributes only 3-4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, it is one of the continents most exposed and vulnerable to climate change effects. He stressed that Africa has the capacity to surpass polluting and unequal development models by building greener, smarter cities, as already demonstrated by numerous African cities, both large and small, committed to innovative sustainability initiatives. United Nations Resident Coordinator in Morocco, Nathalie Fustier, highlighted that this regional forum fits within a critical momentum of South-South cooperation and experience-sharing among African cities, describing it as a strategic platform for peer learning, identifying bankable projects, building coalitions, and developing carbon neutrality pathways tailored to African realities. She also emphasized the efforts of the UN System in Morocco to support cities and territories in this ambitious green transition and reiterated the UN's full commitment to accompanying this process with all partners, adding: 'It is our collective responsibility to make African cities more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient living spaces.' Tangier Mayor Mounir Laymouri, also President of the Moroccan Association of Municipal Council Presidents (AMPCC), affirmed that Africa lies at the heart of the green transition, stating that this transformation depends on empowering cities and local authorities with the necessary resources to play their role. He also noted that African local governments often face limitations in financial and human resources. The two-day event includes debates on various green economy-related topics, such as carbon neutrality, policies and governance, greening African cities, renewable energy solutions, sustainable transport, waste management and circular economy, smart water management, and green industrialization.
Ya Biladi
3 hours ago
- Ya Biladi
Ecuador's Deputy Agriculture Minister's visit to Dakhla angers Polisario supporters
An Ecuadorian delegation, headed by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Marco Antonio, is visiting Morocco from July 21 to 30, as reported by Ecuadorian diplomatic sources. The visit includes meetings with Moroccan officials and tours of several cities across the kingdom, such as Rabat, Larache, Meknes, Agadir, Casablanca, and Dakhla. The planned visit to Dakhla has sparked tensions among Polisario supporters in Quito. They have sent a letter to Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld, urging the cancellation of this stop. They argue that visiting the Sahara represents «an infringement on the Ecuadorian state's foreign policy regarding the Western Sahara issue». It is worth noting that Ecuador suspended its recognition of «SADR » in October 2024. Since that decision, relations between Rabat and Quito have strengthened significantly. On July 4 in Rabat, Sommerfeld held talks with her Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita, leading to the signing of a memorandum of understanding aimed at bolstering bilateral cooperation. From Quito, Bourita announced that Morocco and Ecuador «have developed cooperation in the food sector, ensuring the supply of fertilizers. We have also increased our imports of bananas from Ecuador. We are working to strengthen the partnership between our ports». met with Ambassador Mohamed Methqal, Director General of the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation.
Morocco World
14 hours ago
- Morocco World
Marrakech Mayor El Mansouri Refutes Allegations Over Family Land Sales
Rabat – Fatima Zahra El Mansouri, Minister of National Planning and Mayor of Marrakech, has publicly addressed recent allegations circulating on social media regarding the sale of family-owned land in the outskirts of Marrakech, denouncing them as baseless and malicious. In a detailed statement shared with the public, El Mansouri clarified that the land in question is part of a private inheritance belonging to her late father, Si Abdelrahman El Mansouri, who legally purchased the property in 1978 from private owners—not from the state or any public institution, contrary to the claims being spread. 'These lands are private property, not state-owned nor part of tribal or communal lands,' El Mansouri emphasized, noting that the inheritance process began only after her mother's death in 2023, in accordance with Moroccan legal procedures. The family-appointed legal representative carried out the land sales transparently and declared all transactions to the tax authorities, which collected the dues accordingly. El Mansouri also stressed that all proceeds were reinvested into legal and declared projects in Marrakech. The land is located in the rural commune of Tassoultante, under zoning regulations approved in 2017, before El Mansouri held any ministerial or mayoral office. Rejecting what she described as 'defamatory campaigns' targeting her and her extended family, El Mansouri reaffirmed her compliance with legal requirements. She said she declared her assets to the Court of Auditors since first being elected mayor in 2009—a process that included this land and is accessible to the public under the right to information. 'Constructive and responsible criticism is welcome,' El Mansouri added, 'but my integrity and my family's reputation must not be dragged through unfounded rumors.' She confirmed that the family's legal representative has filed a lawsuit against those behind the misleading leaks. El Mansouri urged journalists, civil society actors, and the public to verify information before sharing it. Instead of engaging in unproven allegations and crediting smear campaigns, she concluded, journalists' work should be in service of transparency, truth, and the public good. Tags: family lands el mansouriFatima Ezzahra El Mansourimarrakech mayor
