Launching a National Commission in Morocco to Coordinate Business Climate Reforms
January 2010 – In recent years, the many reforms introduced by Morocco have made it possible to undertake a structural overhaul of the private sector. In order to boost private investment and create jobs, both sectoral industrial policies and cross-cutting business climate reforms must be coordinated.
Following the exploratory work done by the World Bank and the Government of Morocco last year, a lack of coordination among institutions was identified as the root cause of the ineffectiveness of a number of reforms.
The Government therefore concluded a “National Pact on Industrial Development” in February 2009 with the main professional organizations in the country, which provided for the establishment of a national public-private commission to coordinate business climate reforms.
The establishment of this national commission is essential for the successful implementation of cross-cutting and sectoral policies and will pave the way for Morocco to apply international best practices to the reform process.
Launching the National Commission for the Business Environment (“Commission Nationale de l’Environnement des Affaires – CNEA”)
Seminar
The Ministry of Economic and General Affairs partnered with the World Bank and the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM) to organize an information seminar on the strategy of the National Commission for the Business Environment. This event, which was held on January 21, 2010 in Casablanca, brought together business persons, investors, economic operators, as well as public sector representatives.
This seminar was chaired by Mr. Nizar Baraka, Minister Delegate to the Prime Minister for Economic and General Affairs. Mr. Mohamed Horani, Chairman of the CGEM, and Mr. Mats Karlsson, World Bank Country Director, also participated.
The goal of the seminar was to present the objectives, functioning, and 2010 action plan of the CNEA and to gather the views and hear the expectations of those economic operators impacted by the improvement of Morocco’s business climate.
Over one hundred and twenty persons participated in the seminar, among them public and private sector representatives, as well as international donors.
Objectives
The Commission, which is chaired by the Prime Minister, is composed of the ministers directly involved with the improvement of the business climate and private sector representatives. Its first official meeting took place on December 11, 2009, and future meetings will take place every two months. Its main objective is to offer solutions to administrative, procedural, legal, and commercial problems encountered by investors and business persons.
The first action plan for 2010 includes 12 priority activities intended to facilitate achievement of the following four strategic objectives: streamlining and strengthening transparency of administrative procedures, modernizing business law, improving the settlement of commercial disputes, and enhancing collaboration and communication related to reforms.
The Role of the World Bank
The World Bank is assisting the Ministry of Economic and General Affairs with the establishment of the institutional framework and the operational capacity building needed to manage this ambitious reform program. The initial phases target the establishment of public/private working groups, the development of an impact assessment tool, and the launch of a review of the first projects.
