Eduardo González
The twinning project between the Public Prosecutor’s Offices of Spain and Morocco, financed by the European Commission and managed by the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Public Administration and Policy (FIIAPP), a public sector entity linked to Spanish cooperation, came to an end on December 31.
The Support to the Presidency of the Moroccan Public Prosecutor’s Office project had a budget of 1,005,000 euros, provided by the European Commission. The objective of this twinning project between the Spanish State Prosecutor’s Office and the Presidency of the Moroccan Public Prosecutor’s Office was to strengthen the rule of law in Morocco by establishing an independent judiciary for greater protection of rights and freedoms.
With an approximate duration of two years (between March 2022 and December 31, 2023), this Twinning project had a Spanish prosecutor in the field. In addition, other specialists from Spanish institutions, such as the Ministry of Justice, the General Council of the Judiciary or the Court of Auditors, and from other European institutions, such as the Consultative Council of European Judges (CCJE) or the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Portugal, also participated.
Following the 2011 constitutional reform in Morocco, the Moroccan authorities have introduced important developments in the judicial system, such as the creation of the Presidency of the Public Prosecutor’s Office. Within this framework, the Spanish and Moroccan prosecutors’ offices created bilateral working groups to advise on issues of common interest.
Some of the issues addressed during the implementation of the project were the environment and the protection of vulnerable persons. The Moroccan Prosecutor’s Office also worked with Spanish specialists on issues such as the detection of human trafficking cases and the adoption of measures for the protection of women.
According to FIIAPP, the project has also enabled the development of a case and procedure management system and has helped strengthen the budgetary management practices of the Moroccan Public Prosecutor’s Office. On the other hand, the capacities of the Moroccan Public Prosecutor’s Office managers have been strengthened on the basis of European standards and the principles of independence of the Public Prosecutor’s Office have also been reinforced, consistent with the guidelines of justice reform in Morocco.
“Our project is aimed at supporting the Moroccan General Prosecutor’s Office in its birth and its development,” stated Maria del Mar Ramos, prosecutor for international cooperation at the provincial prosecutor’s office of Malaga and the coordinator of the project to support the Moroccan Prosecutor’s Office. “This is going to allow both institutions to exchange knowledge and experience and this is going to result in growth and mutual enrichment,” she added, quoted by the FIIAPP in a press release.
“This twinning project shows the good bilateral relationship between Spain and Morocco and is another step to strengthen the justice institutions in the country with current issues such as environmental protection, gender violence, digitization of justice or human trafficking,” she added.
