Industrial estates in Morocco have been subject to new legal requirements aimed at encouraging investment in the industrial sector and strengthening the legal arsenal associated with the preparation, management and valuation of these areas in order to combat the phenomenon of real estate speculation.
New legal provisions have been issued under Law 102.21 regarding industrial zones, for the implementation of which the honorary Dahir has been published in the Official Gazette No. 7173, as it establishes a number of applicable rules in the field of preparation, management and evaluation. industrial zones.
The new law aims to achieve effective, integrated and sustainable national industrial development, taking into account the spatial equity, as well as the social, economic and environmental impacts of these territories, by creating mechanisms that ensure their sustainable and efficient management.
Morocco has 140 industrial zones with a total area of about 10,000 hectares in all regions. The provisions of the new law will not apply to zones created in accordance with Law No. 19.94 related to industrial acceleration zones.
According to the new text, the National Plan for Industrial Zones will be drawn up as a reference document setting out the State’s strategic directions in the field of industrial infrastructure by identifying the needs of the industrial sector in relation to the development of these zones.
With regard to the marketing, management and evaluation of industrial zones, the provisions provide for the mandatory indication in the terms of the contract concluded between the person responsible for the preparation and the investor of the project components approved by the Unified Regional Investment Committee.
The investor must also conduct an appraisal of the land plot, indicating the timing of completion of construction work and the timing of the start of production. Penalties apply if he fails to comply with his obligations, and deferred penalties if he fails to comply with the contributions he is required to pay for the services rendered to him by the governing body.
Investors residing within the modernized industrial zones prior to the entry into force of this Law, who do not have an authority to manage them, will be required within five years to establish an association to manage the zone and collect fees, or appoint a specialized company. If they do not do this, the territorially authorized body may entrust this to a specialized company.
