DR ‹ › The Executive Office of the Moroccan Federation of Newspaper Publishers held a meeting in Casablanca to review the current situation of media companies and the broader environment in which they operate. Discussions also focused on recent legal developments, particularly the Constitutional Court's decision to reject the draft law reorganizing the National Press Council, returning the text to the legislative process. In a statement, the Federation stressed that the Court's ruling does not settle individual or professional disputes, but rather represents a key opportunity to launch genuine reform. It noted that the Constitutional Court identified several provisions that contradict the Constitution, notably those that undermine representative plurality and open the door to what it described as "tailored" legislation. The Federation called on the government to reconsider the law in its entirety, warning against limiting the response to technical amendments. According to the Federation, the substance of the Court's decision calls for a serious, rational dialogue with professional stakeholders—an approach it has been advocating for more than three years. It also acknowledged the role played by the parliamentary opposition in bringing the matter before the Court, while praising the solidarity shown by journalists' and publishers' professional organizations, as well as the support of human rights groups, democratic forces, civil society actors, and trade unions in defending the principles of autonomy and pluralism in media self-regulation. Turning to the challenges facing the sector, the Federation held the outgoing temporary committee, the government, and allied professional bodies responsible for the current situation. It attributed ongoing problems—including delays in renewing professional press cards and training certificates, as well as the mismanagement of public funds—to a series of flawed choices, managerial and legal shortcomings, and a prevailing control-driven approach. The Federation further denounced the continued vulnerability of regional and small media enterprises, the persistent lack of fairness and territorial equity, and the absence of clear criteria for allocating public support—factors it said have pushed some companies into existential difficulty.
