Morocco is a model of democracy in Africa and one of the best partners of the European Union (EU) in the Maghreb, said MEP Andrey Kovachev.

Speaking at the program "Let's focus on the MENA Region!" of the European People's Party (EPP), Kovachev said he visited the Kingdom just after the democratic elections of September 2021 which led to a change at the level of the government, stressing that this "alternation took place in a normal way as in any democratic country."

The MEP pointed out that the EU "cooperates closely with Morocco in different areas such as economy, trade, security, migration and energy", adding that the Kingdom will be the EU's "best partner" in terms of renewable energy, in particular in the production of green hydrogen.

Regarding the fight against illegal migration, he underlined that the figures show that "during the past five years, Morocco has prevented nearly 300,000 illegal crossings into the EU, and nearly 500,000 during the past decade", calling to deepen the partnership with Morocco and to support the Kingdom which mobilizes nearly 80,000 coast guards to prevent these crossings.

On the fight against radicalization and terrorism, the MEP noted that Morocco is a "very important partner for the EU".