The Minister of Justice, Abdellatif Ouahbi, held a meeting, Monday in Lisbon, with the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe (CoE), Bjørn Berge, centered on ways to strengthen cooperation between Morocco and the Council.
During this meeting, held on the sidelines of the launch of the fifth phase of the South Program, Ouahbi stated that Morocco, as part of its commitments in the human rights field, is interested in the invitation extended to the Kingdom by the Secretary General of the Council to join the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), in order to contribute to the improvement of Moroccan legislative and institutional frameworks in this field.
Ouahbi also stressed that Morocco is currently revising a number of laws related to human rights and the rule of law, including the Penal Code, to ensure better adaptation to international conventions.
Ouahbi noted that the Kingdom was inspired by comparative international law in its plans to implement alternative sentencing. The Minister added, in this regard, that Morocco seeks the expertise of its partners, such as the Council of Europe (CoE), to support this project.
In this sense, the Minister stated that the societal debate on the penal code raises major issues concerning individual freedoms, the death penalty, and women’s rights, emphasizing the intention of Morocco to review the Family Code, in order to remove some legal loopholes and achieve equality and non-discrimination.
The Minister further explained that the societal debate on the penal code raises serious issues concerning individual freedoms, the death penalty, and women’s rights, emphasizing Morocco’s intention to review the Family Code, in order to address some legal gaps and achieve equality and non-discrimination.
For his part, Berge affirmed that Morocco is an important partner for the Council of Europe and expressed his willingness to strengthen cooperation between the two parties, further highlighting the successful completion of several partnership programs with Morocco.
This two-day meeting, co-organized by the European Union and the Council of Europe, was an opportunity to introduce the objectives and novelties of the fifth phase of the Southern Program, which focuses on “Protecting human rights, the rule of law and democracy through shared standards in the Southern Mediterranean,” with the gradual implementation of a common legal space between Europe and the Southern Mediterranean, based on the conventions of the Council of Europe (CoE).
This high-level event marked by the participation of four ministers from both sides of the Mediterranean provided a platform for discussing the added value of mutual standards and their implementation in the region.
