Morocco and Portugal on Wednesday 12 January 2022, signed an agreement on the stay and employment of Moroccan workers in Portugal, which is part of the process of modernizing partnership instruments between the two countries.
Initialled at the end of a meeting held by videoconference between the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, and the Minister of State and Foreign Affairs of Portugal Mr. Augusto Santos Silva, this agreement aims to respond efficiently to the growing demand of Moroccan workers to benefit from work opportunities offered by the Portuguese economic fabric.
It seeks to define the procedures for admission and residence applicable to Moroccan citizens for the exercise of a professional activity in Portugal, and also to strengthen cooperation between the two sides in the field of management of regular migration flows.
Several provisions are stipulated by this agreement, including the process of selection and recruitment of workers, general conditions of work and training, family reunification and social security and taxation.
Under the agreement, the National Agency for the Promotion of Employment and Skills (ANAPEC) and its Portuguese counterpart, the Institute for Employment and Vocational Training (IEFP), will be responsible for implementing its provisions, under the supervision of the relevant government authorities.
The second of its kind ever signed by Portugal (the first was inked with India), the agreement provides for the establishment of a Joint Commission composed of representatives of the competent authorities of both parties (Employment and Consular Services) to ensure the monitoring and exchange of regular information.
The signing ceremony took place in the presence of the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests, Mohammed Sadiki, and the Minister of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment and Skills, Younes Sekkouri.
At the end of talks, Mr. Bourita and Augusto Santos Silva agreed to make the 14th session of the High Level Meeting, scheduled in Portugal, an opportunity to develop bilateral relations to match the shared ambitions, through the exploration of new opportunities and the creation of synergies in terms of value chains, investment promotion and triangular cooperation.