There is a strong relationship between modernizing the printed press sector and consolidating democracy. It is a reality in which the concerned parties, government, newspaper editors and journalists, believe.  Being the watchdog of democracy, the press is unable to play its role appropriately until it overcomes the problems which impede its development: absence of entrepreneurial vision, limited means, meagre turnover, reduced readership and other legal and ethical problems. It is this diagnosis that the professionals of the sector adopted during the national press conference which took place in Skhirat between 11 and 12 March, 2005 and at the end of which a number of recommendations was endorsed.

These recommendations stressed the necessity to revise the laws which govern the profession, in particular, the press code, the regulation of the sector and the modernization of the press company.

The National Press conference is the outcome of a common initiative proposed by the ministry of Communication, the Moroccan Union of newspaper Editors (FMEJ) and the National Union of Moroccan Journalists (SNPM).

The abovementioned conference has put the train of reform on the rails. This was manifested in the signature of so important documents such as the contract programme to upgrade the printed press sector between the ministry of Communication and the FMEJ, the agreement to create the Justification and Broadcasting Body ( OJD) between the FMEJ, The Moroccan Announcers Group (GAM) and the Union of Agencies Council in Communication ( UACC), the statement on the collective agreement between the FMEJ and the SNPM and finally a charter of collaboration partnership between the ministry of Communication, the SNPM and the FMEJ.

Contract programme, reform framework

The contract programme for upgrading the printed press sector, whose validity will last for five renewable years, is the global framework for modernizing and developing the sector. One of the important points approached by the contract program is the mechanism of financing press companies. A substantial change is introduced at the level of public help to these companies.

Henceforth, this MAD 5 millions help will be granted to all press organs which have the number of the Joint committee for the Printed Press, charged with studying the files of the press companies that should benefit from the provisions of the contract program.

In order to have this number, the press company has to satisfy some conditions such as: the employment of a minimum number of journalists and employees, the signature of a collective agreement, the publication, in every issue, of the number of printed copies. The public help to the press companies which will be beneficial also for the regional press by 20 %, is granted in the form of subsidies to cover part of equipment spending, expenses relating to the purchase of paper, telephone, fax, internet, the accommodation of sites and the costs caused by the transportation of newspapers abroad.

By virtue of this contract program, press companies can benefit from other financing mechanisms such as credit lines put at the disposal of the Moroccan small and medium-sized firms, and the guarantee funds which allow to companies the access to bank credits in order to finance their investments. To accompany the press companies upgrading, an agreement will be signed between the ministry of Communication, the FMEJ and the National Agency for the Promotion of Small and medium-sized companies (ANAPEM).

The modernization of the company of press and its endowment with adequate means to assure its development is certainly is of equal importance to the regulation of the sector. That is why in one of its clauses the contract program stipulates that the signatories undertake to work, in association with professional organisations, to consult each other in order to set up a professional framework aiming at organizing and regulating the profession in order to protect it from irregularities.

The full text of the contract program on upgrading the printed press sector is on-line: www.mincom.gov.ma