Morocco and Italy are aligning to raise and harmonise professional driver qualification standards – unlocking international work opportunities.
Leading public and private stakeholders recently came together in Casablanca, Morocco, to advance the safe, structured and sustainable mobility of professional drivers.
A key outcome of the workshop was a clear and unanimous agreement on the need to raise training and overall driver qualification standards in Morocco, aligning them with those in the EU. This will pave the way for regional market integration and greater mobility opportunities for professional drivers.
IRU Director of Certifications and Standards Patrick Philipp underlined the importance of internationally recognised frameworks and the role of harmonised certification standards in ensuring safe, secure and efficient road transport operations.
Morocco’s National Agency for the Promotion of Employment and Skills (ANAPEC) stated that this step forward benefits all stakeholders, directly improves road safety, and enhances employment opportunities in Morocco and abroad.
IRU member the Federazione Autotrasportatori Italiani (FAI) outlined the employment opportunities drivers could benefit from when working abroad but emphasised that the goal was not to poach drivers to the detriment of local needs.
All institutions and partners present echoed a call for stronger public-private cooperation, greater engagement, and faster project implementation.
With broad alignment among Moroccan and Italian stakeholders, and support from EU and international bodies, the message was clear: it’s now time to move forward together – for safer roads, stronger qualifications, support for local industry needs, and fair mobility opportunities.
The participants of the workshop, which was part of the Skilled Driver Mobility for Europe and THAMM Plus initiatives, included ANAPEC; the Embassy of Italy in Morocco; ENABEL (Belgian agency for international cooperation); the European Union; FAI; FTL-CGEM – the Federation of Transport and Logistics; IFTL – the Transport & Logistics Training Institute; the International Labour Organization; Morocco’s Ministry of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment and Skills; and OFPPT – the Office of Vocational Training and Work Promotion.
