On Tuesday, the Minister for Territory and Sustainability, Santi Vila signed a ‘memorandum of understanding’ with Hakima El Haite, the Moroccan Environment Minister, to strengthen bilateral cooperation in matters of sustainable development and environment. According to Vila, Catalonia is considered to be a “leading example” in the Mediterranean due its progressive environmental policies. The Minister also highlighted the strong ties being built with the Moroccan government to face “common challenges such as climate change or water and waste management”.

 

Among the established areas of cooperation included in the agreement were:

• the promotion of a ‘green economy’, especially through eco-innovation and encouraging green entrepreneurship;
• supporting initiatives by economic actors in the environmental industry as well as the establishment of networks to integrate environmental business management;
• the development of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) for the management of industrial and household waste;
• reinforcing capacities in matters of environmental strategic assessment;
• sharing experiences and developing innovative tools in matters of environmental education;
• and, finally, the promotion of youth participation in environmental protection agencies

 

This cooperation, centred in the scientific, technical and technological fields, should favour the better protection of the environment and conform to the principles of sustainable development while contributing to the promotion of economic and commercial exchange. The arrangement includes an agreement to share information and experiences among experts from both, Catalonia and Morocco, and ensure the transfer of technologies as well as the elaboration and development of projects within the Euro-Mediterranean cooperation framework.