HACA recommendations for radio and TV, the construction industry crisis in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, deceleration of credit a...

Today Morocco
Moroccan radio and television: HACA recommendations
In the context of the national mobilization for the fight against the propagation of the coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19), the Superior council of the audio-visual communication adopted during its tele-meeting of April 10, 2020 a report making state of the specific effort made by Moroccan radio and television stations and recalling some principles to be respected in terms of media treatment of the issue of the pandemic. Based on monitoring and follow-up of the programs and awareness capsules broadcast by 18 public and private radio and television services during the period from March 19 to April 9, 2020, this report was sent to all audiovisual operators especially in anticipation of the next steps in the evolution of this global health crisis.
The 2nd phase of the “Salama” operation aimed at supporting the elderly and disabled people was launched by the Ministry of Solidarity, Social Development, Equality and the Family, in order to protect this category of the new Coronavirus (Covid-19). According to a press release from the ministry, this operation, launched in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund, aims to provide social protection establishments in Rabat, Casablanca, Fez and Tangier with “Salama Kits” for hygiene and prevention of Covid-19. This is a measure to preserve the health of this social group and to provide the necessary care and basic support to meet their needs, in the context of the fight against this new pandemic.
The Economist
Public procurement: Construction fears double punishment
Disarray sets in among construction companies. The overwhelming majority of construction sites are currently shutdown for two reasons. First, the Ministry of the Interior's ban on a number of activities, including the distribution of construction materials and all the inputs used in construction. Secondly, construction companies are facing a massive departure of workers from their region of origin since the population was confined. “There is uncertainty surrounding the start date of the force majeure situation if we follow the chronology of events since March 20, date of publication of the list of activities authorized to continue during the state of 'emergency. Knowing that the decree-law does not explicitly say stop work. As a result, there remains an ambiguity between the decree law and the letter from the Minister of the Interior, "said Kamal Habachi, a business lawyer associated with HB Law.
Compensation: The strongly bearish trajectory
A sharply lower expenditure for public finances. The compensation charge should contract sharply over the coming months as a result of the plunge in the price of a barrel of oil and the tonne of butane gas directly linked to it. For the moment, the oil cartel is struggling to deploy a policy of reducing production, due to the resistance of certain member countries. And the decision on a possible drop in volumes should not take place until next summer. This means that the amount of 14.6 billion, budgeted by the 2020 finance law, will probably not be reached this year. Even if the burden of the butane gas subsidy started this fiscal year with a sharp increase in the first two months: 31% compared to the same period of 2019.
Opinion
Moroccans stranded abroad: 30 days of waiting
It has been exactly a month since Morocco closed its land, sea and air borders almost hermetically. It has therefore been 30 days since the thousands of Moroccans who were outside the country when this closure took place have been blocked, with no possibility of return. Figures relayed by the press and confirmed to the Opinion by the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs suggest a total of around 17,000 people detained abroad.
Public external debt: outstanding of 339.8 MMDH at the end of 2019
The stock of public external debt reached more than 339.8 billion dirhams (MMDH) at the end of 2019, or 29.7% of gross domestic product (GDP), according to data from the Directorate of the Treasury and External Finance (DTFE). At the end of the year 2019, the stock of external debt of the Treasury was established at 161.5 MMDH and that of the external debt except Treasury at 178.3 MMDH, notes the DTFE in its quarterly bulletin of the debt public outdoor. The structure of creditors is dominated by multilaterals (49.4%), followed by bilateral ones (25.6%) and the International Monetary Fund and commercial banks (25%).
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