The Minister of Economy and Finance, Nadia Fattha, revealed the existence of a series of issues related to the management of the relationship between the administration and its stakeholders when certain disputes arise that escalate into legal conflicts before national courts and arbitration bodies, noting a 100 percent increase in state disputes over the last decade.
Nadia Fattha emphasized this morning in Rabat, during a speech at the first national symposium on managing and preventing state disputes, that statistics concerning state disputes have shown a nearly 100 percent increase over ten years, with the number of new cases received by the Kingdom’s legal agency rising from 14,505 new cases in 2014 to 21,218 new cases in 2024.
She pointed out that this figure only concerns one-third of state disputes, as administrative courts in the kingdom register around 60,000 cases annually, while the legal agency only receives about 20,000 new cases each year, in addition to a backlog of approximately 200,000 cases.
The minister stressed that this situation necessitates greater attention to the state dispute management system to ensure that efforts made in governance and institutional reforms align with strategies for rationalizing public spending and the optimal use of public resources, as well as avoiding the complications resulting from state disputes that negatively impact the success of public programs and major projects.
She stated that “improving the quality of state dispute management and rationalizing recourse to judicial procedures is closely linked to efforts aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of the national economy, improving the investment climate, and achieving desired development, especially in light of increasing global competition and limited resources amid the challenging global conditions.”
The government official called for a focus on protecting public funds, rationalizing public expenditures, and safeguarding state interests by preventing disputes and minimizing their costs to the lowest possible limits.
Nadia Fattha affirmed that the effective management of state disputes and their prevention represents “a commitment to the efficiency of public administration, reinforcing legitimacy, protecting investment, and rationalizing public spending,” highlighting that the national strategy to improve the efficacy of state dispute management should be central to other programs being implemented by the government in the areas of digitization, administrative efficiency, and enhancing administrative transparency.
She urged the establishment of a national action plan for rational state dispute management based on coordination, cooperation, anticipating disputes, and preventing them from becoming a source of failure for strategic programs and projects, wasting public funds, and undermining public trust in the administration, especially during this phase characterized by challenges, stakes, and major initiatives.
