Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
1.5.7.1 The Legal, Political and Economic Situation in Morocco
Germany and Morocco have a good relationship and the market potential for
renewable energies in Morocco is good as Mohammad VI
s goal is to increase
renewable energy. 266 Most of the Moroccan market is liberalized, with only a few
products under state influence (e.g. petrol). 267 Morocco already exports electricity
to Spain and wants to increase that amount. 268 Morocco has also signed a memo-
randum of understanding on integration of the Maghreb electricity market and a
possible integration into the EU internal market. 269 However, regulations and
bureaucracy continue to be obstacles in Morocco. 270
Nevertheless, there are drawbacks due to the country
'
s political stability. Within
the MENA region, there are a large number of young people entering the job market
at the same time, which has led to employment problems. 271 The majority of
Moroccans live in an unstable and insecure situation. Along with a high rate of
illiteracy (43 % over the age of ten), the unemployment rates are high. Statistics
show that in 2005 the urban unemployment rate was 18.4 % and that there was
32.7 % unemployment among young people. 272
In this context, the Desertec Concept is a double-edged sword: on the one hand,
it could help to establish new jobs and thus ease unemployment; on the other hand,
it would be risky to build a large-scale project in an area with significant social
problems. The situation in Morocco is slightly different compared to other MENA
states as King Mohammed VI started to modernize the country prior to the
revolutions. Among other things, this involved liberalization. As a result, tensions
within the population are not as heated as in other MENA states. In addition, the
Maghreb countries face difficult economic challenges, e.g. lack of exports and low
economic growth rates. 273 The fact that there is almost no trade within the Maghreb
region illustrates that the region is very poorly integrated on a regional scale. 274
Overall, there are doubts within the MENA region. For example, Algerian
officials have expressed concerns about the use of the term “partnerships” as they
fear that there will be a concentration on Europe. 275 Similar concerns have been
voiced in Morocco as it is sometimes said that a PPP cannot always be understood
'
266 DIHK and bfai ( 2006 ), 45 and 46.
267
European Commission ( 2004a ), 14.
268
European Commission ( 2004a ), 20.
269
European Commission ( 2004a ), 20; European Commission ( 2010a ), 4 and 27.
270
European Commission ( 2004a ), 15.
271
DIHK and bfai ( 2006 ), 30.
272
European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument ( 2007 ), 14-15; Illiteracy rate is the
highest in all Arab countries, in: Alonsoa and Reya ( 2007 ), 571 (575); High unemployment, in:
Brenton et al. ( 2006 ), 3.
273 Brenton et al. ( 2006 ), 1 and 3.
274 Brenton et al. ( 2006 ), 4.
275 Lowe ( 2010 ).
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