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Spain-Morocco Relations: Sharing Perspectives in a Dynamic Neighborhood

From January 17, 2020 until January 27, 2020The seminar will be held on Monday, January 27 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
MADRID
Casa Árabe Ambassadors’ Hall (at Calle Alcalá, 62, First Floor). The seminar will be held on Monday, January 27 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Prior registration required.
Register using  this link.
In English, without translation.

Casa Árabe and the Policy Center for the New South have arranged this seminar to be held in Madrid on Monday, January 27. Registration has now begun.

Its location at a meeting point between Europe and Africa places Morocco at a true crossroads. In recent decades, the bilateral relations between Morocco and Spain have become more extensive, profound and inter-dependent. For a more in-depth discussion of these factors, Casa Árabe and the Policy Center for the New South have co-organized the seminar Spain-Morocco Relations: Sharing Perspectives in a Dynamic Neighborhood in Madrid on Monday, January 27 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.

The meeting will provide a platform for debating the challenges which Morocco faces today, as well as the opportunities for working with Spain and the European Union to achieve a common goal in the arenas of migration, security and the economy. Due to its geographic proximity, the bonds between Morocco and Spain not only reflect the strength in their political ties, but also the essential, valuable role which this bond has in terms of the relations between Africa and the European Union.

The first session will focus on the Sahel region, increasing armed conflicts, and the regional and international efforts being made to consolidate peace. Because the topic of security is closely linked to migration, the second session will highlight the role of the African Union in migration policy since the La Valletta Summit in 2015, and the experts will be analyzing the main results of this policy. At the third session, the experts will hold a discussion about Africa’s Continental Free Trade Area, as well as the potential and difficulties envisaged as a result of that initiative.

You can download the full program and participant biographies here (in English)
Spain-Morocco Relations: Sharing Perspectives in a Dynamic Neighborhood
The seminar schedule is as follows:

9:00 - 9:15 a.m.  Registration

9:15 - 9:45 a.m.  Opening remarks
Karim El Aynaoui, President, Policy Center for the New South
Pedro Martínez-Avial, General Director of Casa Árabe.
Eva Martínez, Director-General for Maghreb, Mediterranean and Middle East, Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation

9:45 - 11:15 a.m.  Panel I: “The Sahel: One Region, Multiple Threats”
Chair: Javier Puig, Deputy Director-General for the Maghreb, MOFA, Spain
Speakers: El Mostafa Rezrazi, Senior Fellow, Policy Center for the New South
Angel Losada, Ambassador, EU Special Representative for the Sahel
Sergio Altuna, Researcher, Real Instituto Elcano
Q&A session

11:15 - 11:30 a.m.  Coffee break

11:30 - 1:00 p.m.  Panel II: “Africa-EU Migration and Mobility Dialogue”
Chair: María Jesús Herrera, Spain Office Director, International Organization for Migrations
Speakers: Nouzha Chekrouni, Senior Fellow, Policy Center for the New South
Len Ishmael, Senior Fellow, Policy Center for the New South
José Luis Pardo, Ambassador on Special Mission for Migration Affairs, MOFA, Spain
Q&A session

1:00 - 2:00 p.m.  Lunch break

2:00 - 3:30 p.m.  Panel III: “Maghreb: Geopolitics of a non-integrated space”
Chair: Haizam Amirah Fernández, Senior Researcher, Real Instituto Elcano
Speakers: Rachid El Houdaigui, Senior Fellow, Policy Center for the New South
Martín Ortega Carcelén, Senior Lecturer, Complutense University of Madrid
Leila Zniber, Economist, Department of Economic Studies and Financial Forecast, Moroccan Ministry of Economy and Finance
Q&A session

3:30 - 3:45 p.m.  Closing remarks
Rachid El Houdaigui, Senior Fellow, Policy Center for the New South
Karim Hauser, Head of International Relations, Casa Árabe