The General Secretariat of the Government Adopts a Unified Reference Framework for the Development and Study of Legal Text Projects
Mohamed Hajoui, the Secretary-General of the Government, emphasized that the close relationships connecting the General Secretariat with various ministerial sectors have highlighted the necessity of adopting a unified reference framework for collaborative work in preparing and studying legal text projects.
During the presentation of his department’s budget before the Council of Advisors, Hajoui clarified that this framework is not only limited to organizing the work of the General Secretariat, but also encompasses the harmonization of legislative working methods within ministries, through complete coordination and collaboration with them. This is to ensure that legislative initiatives are consistent with national references and international agreements, and to create standard and linguistically correct legal texts that reflect actual and justifiable needs.
The Secretary-General indicated that the aim of this framework also includes enhancing control over the timelines for preparing legal text projects and the legal timeframe for studying them, thus improving the quality of the national legal system and supporting reform efforts to build a prosperous Morocco under the wise leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI.
Hajoui explained that the reference rules for preparing legal text projects have been included in the procedural guide for legislative and regulatory processes, which is practically used in training workshops, and aims to instill three essential convictions: that reform does not always require the issuance of new laws, that the preparation of laws necessitates in-depth studies and extensive consultations, and the need to accompany draft laws with their implementing texts or drafts when referred to the General Secretariat to ensure their effective impact.
He also stressed the importance of impact assessment as a mechanism to ensure the effectiveness of laws and their ability to achieve desired goals, while ensuring the improvement of the methodology for preparing these studies and benefiting from independent expertise and sharing their data and outputs. The sector intends to review the decree governing this mechanism to enhance its effectiveness.
Hajoui added that the General Secretariat also conducts spontaneous studies aimed at proposing solutions to overcome legal issues, and that interdisciplinary study groups have been established to monitor legal developments in vital areas such as sports, digitization, and gender-related issues.
In the same context, the government official noted that the General Secretariat regularly receives requests for legal consultation from ministries and state institutions, which necessitates conducting in-depth research to ensure accurate answers that assist the concerned parties in performing their tasks clearly and securely.
Regarding digitization projects, Hajoui mentioned that two ambitious projects related to digitizing the Official Bulletin and eliminating the physical aspect of the project study process have been launched. However, the strict quality standards and cybersecurity requirements have not yet found service providers capable of carrying them out, which led to a postponement of implementation. He confirmed that the General Secretariat will continue to work on these projects next year, as they have a significant impact on developing the legal text preparation system, broadening access to legal information, and improving the quality of legal services for citizens and businesses.
