Understanding Morocco's Postal Regulation Landscape
The legal framework governing the Moroccan postal sector is primarily based on Law No. 24-96, which pertains to postal services and telecommunications. This law grants Barid Al-Maghrib an absolute monopoly over all forms of mail service. This monopoly has its roots in a dahir established in 1924 during the French protectorate, and it has increasingly become misaligned with the rapid growth of e-commerce. Currently, no private enterprise is authorized to deliver parcels weighing less than one kilogram within national borders. However, in the realm of e-commerce, over half of the dispatched parcels weigh under one kilogram. As a result, various circumvention practices have emerged, with some operators resorting to adding weights like salt or sand to parcels to exceed the critical threshold.
Legal Challenges and Reform Initiatives
This tension has led to numerous legal disputes, with companies such as Ecart Services Morocco, which manages Jumia, and Cathedis facing lawsuits for infringing on postal monopoly regulations. Concurrently, the establishment of Chrono Diali—a joint venture between Barid Al-Maghrib and the French company Geopost—has drawn scrutiny from the Competition Council. The Council noted potential risks associated with the privileged access to the infrastructure of the historical operator. It did approve the operation, albeit under strict supervision, while also acknowledging that Barid Al-Maghrib had informed them of an ongoing legislative reform project. Against this backdrop of outdated legal frameworks and market realities, the Ministry of Industry has drafted Law No. 036-25, signed by Minister Ryad Mezzour, nearly a decade after a previous unsuccessful attempt under the El Otmani government.
As reported by ledesk.ma.
