On Thursday 26 January, the Council of Government adopted draft decree no. 2.23.1 relating to the activation of the main investment support mechanism and the special support mechanism for strategic investment projects.
Presented by Mohcine Jazouli, Minister Delegate in charge of Investment, Convergence and Evaluation of Public Policies, the new draft decree n° 2.23.1 relating to the implementation of the main support mechanism for investment and the special support mechanism applied to investment projects of a strategic nature has just been adopted this Thursday by the government. It is also part of the implementation of the requirements of framework law no. 03.22 as an investment charter.
Through this project, the government aims to activate the main support for investment and the special support applied to investment projects of a strategic nature, including general provisions aimed at clarifying the basic concepts that structure the mechanisms of the two forms of support.
According to the details of the decree, the main support mechanism includes three categories: the common bonus, the territorial bonus and the sector bonus, which can be accumulated within the limit of 30% of the amount of the investment eligible for support and 30 million dirhams as the maximum ceiling for investments in the renewable energy production sector.
Eligibility is limited to two types of projects. Projects that hold an investment, whose total amount is greater than or equal to 50 million dirhams, and whose number of permanent jobs that will be created is between a threshold determined by order of the Head of Government and capped at 149 jobs as well than investment projects creating at least 150 permanent jobs, with no fixed threshold for the amount of investment.
In addition, the joint bonuses are determined according to criteria relating to the number of permanent jobs, the gender approach, jobs of the future or upgrading activities, sustainable development and local integration.
As for the territorial bonuses, these aim to strengthen the attractiveness of investments in the regions and prefectures and to reduce territorial disparities. The provinces and prefectures will be divided into three categories according to objective criteria.
Regarding sectoral bonuses, they amount to 5% of the amount of investments eligible for subsidies for all projects in priority sectors such as industry, tourism, entertainment, cultural industry, digital, energy renewables, recycling and waste recovery, logistics and transport, and the migration of services.
With regard to investment projects of a strategic nature, the support mechanism makes it possible to negotiate specific privileges within a contractual framework. This includes investment projects whose total amount is greater than or equal to 2 billion dirhams and meets specific criteria.
These criteria can be summed up in the effective contribution to water, energy, food or health security, to technological development and to the economic influence of Morocco, the creation of a significant number of jobs, etc.
Under the decree, there will be created, in accordance with Article 34 of Framework Law No. 03-22, a National Commission in charge of investments, chaired by the Head of Government and composed of ministers. Its mission will be to ratify investment projects and agreements within the framework of the main support system, and decide on the strategic nature of investment projects relating to special support.