France Distances Itself from EU Parliament’s Criticism of Morocco

"The European Parliament resolution in no way commits France. We are responsible for the decisions of the French authorities, but not for the European Parliament where there is a diversity of elected MEP groups and currents of ideas," Lecourtier said in an interview with TelQuel.

The European Parliament resolution calls on Morocco to respect freedom of expression and the press, condemns the use of the Pegasus spying software and calls for respect for the right to a "fair trial" for journalists Omar Radi, Soulaiman Raisouni and Taoufik Bouachrine, detained in the kingdom. The text also mentions suspicions of corruption of the Moroccan authorities in an attempt to influence decisions in Brussels.

The new French ambassador to Morocco intends to strengthen the bilateral relationship between the two countries, affected in recent months by various crises including visas and the Sahara. "I would like us to work together on the challenges of tomorrow [...] ", Lecourtier stressed, evoking a strengthening of cooperation in the fields of "energy, industry and human capital".