This second edition, which will address the challenges of today and tomorrow of advanced regionalization, has already been preceded by the initiation of a series of meetings at the level of the 12 regions of the Kingdom in preparation for this event.
Five years after the holding of the first edition of the National Conference on Advanced Regionalization, in Agadir, which was crowned by the signing of the orientation framework relating to the implementation of the exercise of the regions’ own and transferred powers, this five-year meeting returns this year on December 20 and 21 in Tangier.
This second edition, which will address the challenges of today and tomorrow of advanced regionalization, has already been preceded by the initiation of a series of meetings at the level of the 12 regions of the Kingdom in preparation for this event.
In detail, the work focused on six axes which will be the subject of debates and exchanges during this second edition, in particular the improvement of the attractiveness of the territory, the development of productive investment as a locomotive of consolidation of the economic competitiveness of the regions in addition to the challenges faced by territorial financing programs.
Added to this is the fight against water stress in relation to the problem of climate change and the development of the mobility and transport ecosystem, as well as the digital transformation of the regions.
Regionalization progress faced with several challenges
It goes without saying that after the 2015-2021 period, which was that of the implementation of advanced regionalization, following the municipal and regional elections of 2015 and the application of organic law no. 111 -14 relating to the regions as well as the royal reception of the new regional presidents on October 17, 2015, the project of advanced regionalization is currently evolving within the framework of a second mandate of the Regional Councils spread from 2022 to 2027.
During this period, particularly in June 2024, the Strategic Steering Committee for the implementation of advanced regionalization met in Rabat to assess the results and establish a road map for the stages to come. Currently, after approximately a decade of implementation of this project, the path to the deployment of this political project is still strewn with pitfalls.
These are the same questions that come back over and over again, like the grievances already expressed during the first edition of the National Conference on Advanced Regionalization held in December 2019, in Agadir, despite the responses that were provided, in particular, via the signature of the orientation framework relating to the implementation of the exercise of the regions’ own and transferred powers.
The effective implementation of deconcentration and decentralization
Indeed, the crowning of the legal and regulatory arsenal relating to this project is closely linked to the effective implementation of the question of deconcentration and administrative decentralization which is a sine qua non condition for the achievement of effective advanced regionalization. between central and regional power. Added to this is the transfer of skills, a central element of advanced regionalization, which has limits in terms of the execution of specific skills, shared and transferred by the regional councils.
As a reminder, under this orientation framework, the stakeholders are committed, in accordance with the purpose of this agreement, to define avenues of cooperation and partnership between the 24 signatory parties, in particular the regions and the ministries to allow regions to fully exercise their own and shared skills. Taking into account Law 111-14 relating to regional management, the Regional Councils have three main categories of skills: own, shared with the State and transferable from the latter.
Yassine Saber / ECO Inspirations
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