Upper House Approves Bill Aimed at Cancelling and Liquidating Pension Scheme of its Members

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The House of Advisors (upper house) on Tuesday approved, in a plenary session, a bill aimed at the annulment and liquidation of the pension scheme for members of the House and two draft laws relating to the agricultural sector. The Upper House approved a bill to cancel and liquidate the House members’ pension scheme, in a second reading, after the House of Representatives recently voted against it. The decision to cancel and liquidate the pension scheme for members of the House of Advisors was taken unanimously although the fund managing these pensions did not record any deficit similar to that of the pension scheme of the Lower House. During this meeting, the House also unanimously approved Bill 52.20 establishing the National Agency for Water and Forests. This project is part of the implementation of the new national strategy “Forests of Morocco 2020-2030”, aimed at making the forestry sector more competitive and sustainable by creating an integrated, sustainable and wealth-generating management model. The new agency will be in charge of implementing the strategic orientations of the State policy in the areas of protection, preservation, enhancement and sustainable development of national forest wealth and resources, as well as in the fields of the fight against desertification, the creation and management of reserves, in particular national parks, aquaculture and the conservation of plants, wildlife and threatened species. Bill 37.21 enacting special measures relating to the direct marketing of fruits and vegetables within the framework of agricultural aggregation, which was also unanimously approved, aims to allow collectors who have obtained a license from the competent authority to directly market fruits and vegetables, produced under agricultural aggregation projects, without going through wholesale markets, enable small farmers to improve their production and access modern marketing channels and to define the terms and conditions for granting licenses.