Moroccan Minister of Justice, Abdellatif Ouahbi, and his Portuguese counterpart, Rita Alarcão Gudes, signed a joint declaration in Lisbon on Friday to strengthen judicial cooperation between Morocco and Portugal in preparation for hosting the 2030 FIFA World Cup, Morocco’s Press Agency (MAP) reported.
The tournament will be co-hosted by Morocco, Portugal, and Spain.
The agreement, signed following discussions between the two ministers, underscores the importance of establishing a robust framework to ensure the successful organization of this major sporting event.
The declaration sets forth several key objectives, including ensuring access to justice for all parties involved in the World Cup, digitizing judicial procedures to expedite cases related to the event, and enhancing the skills of legal professionals through specialized training in cross-border dispute management, legal security, and the protection of rights.
It also aims to strengthen bilateral judicial coordination for the efficient handling of transnational cases, develop alternative dispute resolution mechanisms to address regulatory and commercial conflicts linked to the tournament, and establish strategic action plans to implement cooperative legal and judicial programs between the nations.
During the meeting, the two ministers highlighted strong bilateral ties and the significance of collaboration in the justice sector.
In light of Spain’s co-hosting of the tournament with Morocco and Portugal, the ministers discussed the possibility of including the country in a three-way cooperation through future agreements to facilitate coordination tri-nationally. The officials also reaffirmed their commitment to implementing the joint declaration’s provisions until the conclusion of the tournament in 2030.