Morocco – annual report 2022

Details: Published: September 4, 2023

Participants of the Symposium on the Digitalisation of Commercial Courts and Investment Promotion and Protection in Rabat (Morocco) on 12 and 13 December 2022 in cooperation with the Alliance for German Law.

Strategic Framework

Legal Policy Starting Point

Morocco remains an important political and economic connecting link between Africa and the European continent.

The long-time ruling “Justice and Development Party” (PJD) was voted out of office in the parliamentary elections of September 2021 after a long period in government. The King appointed Aziz Akhannouch of the liberal National Rally of Independents party as the new prime minister.

Morocco continues to pursue the “National Human Development Initiative” (INDH), which is backed by the King. The government programme encompasses three axes of bolstering the social foundations of the state, reforming and modernising the economy to boost employment, and strengthening good governance within administration. Efforts to expand the regionalisation and decentralisation of administration in order to achieve these aims are under way. In this context, the new government has placed a particular focus on promoting employment opportunities for young people.

In office since October 2021, the Minister of Justice, Abdellatif Ouahbi, has adopted a consistent path to reform the Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure, explicitly prioritising the introduction of alternative sentences and digital transformation of the judiciary.

Overall Concept

IRZ and the Moroccan judiciary strengthened their bilateral cooperation once again in 2022.

The most important partner institutions in this process are the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Council of the Judicial Power, the Senior Public Prosecutor and the penitentiary authority.

In line with the Moroccan government’s reform plans, priorities were placed on issues of commercial law, especially with a thematic focus on promoting and protecting investment, as well as on the administration of justice with a focus on modernisation and digitisation of the judiciary. Measures implemented by IRZ aim at reforming the criminal justice system and criminal law. Both of these aspects are highly prioritised by the Moroccan government, whereby alternative punishments and alternatives to pre-trial detention are core issues of the reforms.

Focus of Activity in 2022

Civil and Commercial Law

Symposium on the topic of “Promoting and protecting investment in Africa” in cooperation with the Alliance for German Law and the Moroccan Ministry of Justice and with the participation of the Moroccan Ministry of Economy and the Moroccan Chamber of Lawyers and Notaries

Administration of Justice

Online regional conference on “Digitisation of the judiciary, electronic legal transactions and data protection” with the Ministry of Justice of Morocco and with the participation of the Ministry of Justice of Algeria

Criminal and Penitentiary Law

Exchange of experiences on alternative sentences and alternatives to pre-trial detention with the Moroccan Ministry of Justice and the General Prosecutor’s Office

Project funded by the European Union

EU Technical Assistance Project: “Assistance technique auprès de la Délégation Générale à l’Administration Pénitentiaire et à la Réinsertion pour appuyer la mise en œuvre des Politiques de réinsertion sociale des détenus et de prévention de la récidive”

IRZ successfully concluded the EU Technical Assistance project in August 2022, which had been running since 2018 under the leadership of the French partner DMI . The aim of the project was to support reforms of the Moroccan criminal law system. For this purpose, it sought to improve standards in the penitentiary system, resocialisation of prisoners and the prevention of recidivism. The principal beneficiary was the General Delegation for Prison Administration and Reintegration in Morocco (Délégation Génerale de l’Administration Pénitentaire, DGAPR).

In 2022, the project focused on preparing and implementing a variety of intervention programmes and on strengthening the competences of correctional officers through the provision of training courses in the area of social reintegration. This included support in the implementation of special psychosocial intervention programmes for women and minors and the organisation of suitable training courses to raise awareness among correctional officers.

The project involved the development of methods and tools that were made available to DGAPR afterwards as a means of improving the performance of measures for reintegrating prisoners in society and preventing recidivism. This made a decisive contribution for further developments in the assessment, diagnosis, care and individual follow-up procedures for prisoners. Moreover, the project strengthened DGAPR’s partnership with universities that are developing innovative approaches for prisoner reintegration programmes. This means that further training programmes are being developed based on the latest research findings to strengthen the competencies of the correctional officers. Furthermore, the project assisted in the formation of a civil society network to extend its role in the process of reintegration.

Outlook

Cooperation between IRZ and the Moroccan judiciary will remain with a special focus on the reform efforts outlined by the government. Hereby, criminal law and, above all, alternative sentences are important priorities. IRZ will continue its consultations on digitisation and an increased efficiency of the judiciary as well as the ongoing cooperation in the area of commercial law.

Please find the Annual Report 2022 here: Media centre – Annual reports.