Historians Analyze Economic Pathways of Maghreb Nations

On October 10, the Instituto de Empresa (IE) in Madrid, in collaboration with the Morocco-Spain Economic Council (CEMAES) and the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM) of the Tangiers-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, conducted a masterclass in Tangiers. This event was led by Spanish historian and writer Julio Crespo McLennan and focused on the Maghreb and its challenges and opportunities in the 21st century.

Julio Crespo McLennan, who has previously served as vice-president of the European Union Association of the National Cultural Institute (EUNIC) and as director of the Cervantes Institutes in London and Istanbul, highlighted four significant global challenges: climate change, security threats, nuclear proliferation, and terrorism. He emphasized the potential pioneering role of the Maghreb in Mediterranean and African development through economic and political integration of its five countries.

McLennan suggested that revitalizing agreements like the Arab Maghreb Union and engaging with frameworks such as the pan-Arab free trade CAFTA agreement and the African continental free trade area could enhance regional integration. He noted Morocco’s 2001 free trade agreement with Tunisia, Egypt, and Jordan, under the Agadir Agreement, as an effort to strengthen bilateral regional relations.

The historian argued that integration within the Maghreb could provide substantial benefits, such as enhanced trade in goods, services, capital flow, and ease of population movement, thus transforming the bloc into a significant producer of resources like gas, oil, and phosphate, with investments across various sectors. Despite these prospects, regional trade within the Maghreb remains less than optimal.

Morocco is highlighted as a notable non-European country with significant integration efforts, supported by its constitutional monarchy, stable political environment, alliances with the European Union and the United States, and leadership in African manufacturing and investment. In 2023, cooperation projects worth 624 million euros with the European Union were initiated, focusing on green transitions and other reforms.

In the African context, Morocco stands as the leading investor in West Africa and the second in sub-Saharan Africa, engaged in major projects such as the Africa-Atlantic gas pipeline. It also leads initiatives in peace, security, and climate change across the Sahel region.

Julio Crespo McLennan stressed Morocco’s potential role as a manufacturing hub in Africa, offering an alternative supply chain to China in sectors like automotive, textiles, and renewable energy. He postulated that a new “Marshall Plan” for the southern Mediterranean and Africa involving the European Union, the United States, and private capital could stabilize the region while highlighting Morocco’s qualifications to spearhead such a transformational plan.

The masterclass underscored Morocco’s position as a cultural and scientific authority, with 48 universities and prominence in the Arab world publishing industry, and as a major recipient of research and development funds from the European Union for cultivating its cultural industries.