Call to notarial professionals to take advantage of international experiences, in order to contribute to professional influence

The work of the 5th symposium of Mediterranean notariats opened, on Thursday evening in Tangier, with the participation of notaries, experts, jurists and economic operators from 22 countries around the Mediterranean, including Spain, Algeria, France, Italy, Turkey, Slovenia and Tunisia.

Placed under the High patronage of H.M. King Mohammed VI, this symposium, organised by the Order of Notaries of Morocco in partnership with the International Union of Notaries (UINL) under the theme "The notary, partner in development and guarantor of legal security", aims to be a platform for exchange and reflection on the organisation and practice of the profession, notarial acts and economic efficiency, public-private partnership, and succession regimes in private international law.

Speaking on this occasion, the Minister of Justice and Liberties, Mustapha Ramid, assured that this meeting constitutes an ideal opportunity to promote the notarial profession in the Mediterranean basin and strengthen legal security, which, in his eyes, requires the development of the field of notaries.

The minister, in this context, emphasised the great interest granted by Morocco to this profession as one of the most important judicial professions, stressing the need to strengthen the role of the notarial act in judicial security and the accompaniment of the socio-economic dynamic that the Kingdom is experiencing.

He, in this regard, called on notarial professionals to take advantage of international experiences in this field which will be presented during these two days, in order to contribute to professional influence

For his part, the president of the International Union of Notaries (UINL), Daniel Sédar Senghor, indicated that this meeting demonstrates that the Mediterranean is the cradle of all civilisations and cultures, and the home of exchange and dialogue between the North, the South and the Middle East.

The official seized this occasion to salute the great dynamism of the Moroccan notariat, as well as the large-scale projects launched in the Kingdom in general and in the city of Tangier in particular, which have allowed, according to him, to strengthen the economic emergence of the country on the international stage.

He, furthermore, noted that communication between notaries constitutes a key to promoting continental law, which is that of legal security, conflict prevention and the realisation of peace, in order to consolidate the influence of the notariat and the security of its users.

Daniel Sédar insisted that the notariat is an indispensable profession, which responds to the double need for security of users and the State, especially since the citizen aspires today, more than ever, to legal and social peace, while the State expects to strengthen its attractiveness in terms of investments.

For his part, the president of the National Council of the Order of Notaries of Morocco, Sidi Ahmed Amine Touhami, emphasised the role that the Moroccan notariat plays in accompanying the dynamic that the Kingdom is experiencing at the economic and social levels and the consolidation of the protection of rights and properties, through legal and technical advice and the guarantee of the legal security of notarial acts.

He, thus, called on notaries to strengthen their technical and scientific skills in the field of notarial acts, through participation in training sessions in relation to this subject during this event, and this in order to promote local added value and to involve professionals in the region, including notaries, in the local and national development process.

Sidi Ahmed Amine Touhami also made it known that this meeting aims to grant the notarial profession the central place that is its due in the dynamic of the major projects undertaken by Morocco, by basing itself on a strategy advocating qualification, moralisation and modernisation, urging the government to integrate this strategy among national priorities and to expand the attributions of notaries, in order to restore the confidence of citizens and investors in the legal and technical skills of the Moroccan notariat.

This Symposium, which saw the participation of approximately 800 notaries and experts in the legal field, will also be an opportunity to exchange experiences in terms of legal and contractual supervision of public-private partnership, which is experiencing an important dynamic at the national level, following the development of a new legal framework and the opportunities it presents in the context of the implementation of sectoral strategies launched in Morocco, he continued.

As for the first president of the Court of Cassation, Mustapha Farès, he stressed the major role that the notarial profession plays in the realisation of sustainable socio-economic growth, noting that this meeting represents a platform for exchange around the challenges relating to the field of notarial acts and the legal arsenal necessary to allow notaries to play the role assigned to them in terms of contractual security.

This meeting thus constitutes, according to the official, an occasion dedicated to jurists and notaries to debate the specificities of the notarial profession in the Mediterranean basin, in order to identify the tools necessary to implement to preserve the security of notarial acts and the rights of the contracting parties.

The participants in this international meeting should also examine the ways of bringing together the legal systems of Mediterranean countries, notably in the field of the implementation of the provisions of succession contracts in private international law, as well as evaluate the impact of the generalisation of the notarial act on contractual security in the Mediterranean basin.

This event was also marked by a ceremony for the awarding of diplomas to new notaries for the December 2014 class, who number 230.

Taking part in the opening ceremony were the governor of the Al Fahs-Anjra province, the presidents of the regional councils of notaries, the general coordinator of the Mediterranean Notariats Symposium and high-level officials at the national and international levels.