Speaking at the opening of this meeting, Mr Laenser indicated that the holding of this council came 'in a particular context, marked by the creation of a ministry dedicated to urban planning and land use, given the strategic and central role of the sector in job creation and socio-economic development.' This meeting also comes after the launch of the Tangier-Metropolis programme by H.M. King Mohammed VI, with a view to making the city a leading regional hub, comparable to major international cities, he noted, also noting the development on the territory of the Fahs-Anjra province of organised urban fabrics, notably the Tangier-Med port and industrial complex and the new city of Chrafate. These economic and urban mutations of the Tangier wilaya must be accompanied and supervised in coordination between all stakeholders, with the aim of ensuring symbiosis between the different territorial components, Mr Laenser highlighted. The minister affirmed on this occasion the full adherence of the Tangier Urban Agency to the Tangier-Metropolis programme and the continuation of efforts aimed notably at generalising the coverage of the Tangier wilaya territory by urban planning documents, in particular for areas experiencing strong urban pressure and in under-equipped neighbourhoods.

The agency is also working on the preservation of architectural heritage and the upgrading of the urban landscape, while taking into consideration the principles of sustainable urban planning and the need to simplify procedures for granting construction permits, the minister added. These efforts aim to better serve the interests of citizens and to encourage investment and improve the business climate in this sector, he affirmed, stressing that particular interest would be given to the rural world in order to accompany the rise of emerging rural centres. In terms of urban planning, the Tangier Urban Agency continued its efforts in 2013 for the implementation of approved urban planning documents, through the monitoring of the implementation of the provisions of 23 approved urban planning documents and the monitoring of the realisation and approval phases of 33 urban planning documents, including 9 in the process of approval, 11 in the process of validation, and 13 in the study phase.

Furthermore, after the approval of two architectural and landscape charters initiated by the Agency concerning respectively the province of Fahs-Anjra and the city of Assilah, a third study concerning the city of Tangier will be finalised and approved shortly, indicates a report from the Urban Agency. In terms of urban management, the number of files processed during the year 2013 saw a clear regression compared to previous years. Indeed, 2,846 files were processed in 2013, of which approximately 87% were at the level of the Tangier-Assilah prefecture and 13% in the province of Fahs-Anjra, compared to 3,240 files examined in 2012. These figures do not include construction requests in under-equipped neighbourhoods, which totalled 3,033 files in 2013, against 6,579 files in 2012, the report specifies, adding that 62% of the files examined in 2013 received a favourable opinion. The board of directors was marked by the approval of the moral and financial reports of the Tangier Urban Agency for 2013 and the action plan and budget for the 2014 financial year, which amounts to 34.7 million DH.