Morocco’s House of Representatives has given its final approval to a landmark reform of the country’s social security system, passing Bill No. 02.24 with a strong majority. The legislation aims to overhaul the National Social Security Fund (CNSS) and address its growing financial challenges.
Facing a cumulative debt of 77 billion dirhams ($7.7 billion USD) in 2023, a dramatic increase from 44 billion dirhams in 2013, the CNSS requires significant restructuring. Minister of Economy and Finance Nadia Fettah presented the bill to parliament, emphasizing its crucial role in supporting the CNSS’s ongoing transformation and advancing Morocco’s universal social protection goals.
The approved legislation introduces several key reforms impacting CNSS governance and services, implementing provisions agreed upon between the government and professional organizations.
These reforms include authorizing the CNSS to manage additional social protection programs through legislative frameworks or conventions, expanding the management authority of the Director General and permitting the creation of subsidiaries to improve service delivery, establishing new procedures for appointing board members and creating specialized committees to support administrative functions, granting CNSS claims the status of public debt, enabling the organization to use public debt collection mechanisms and introducing revised calculations for late payment penalties to address the substantial debt, much of which is decades old, promoting digital transformation through electronic notifications for employers and digital processing of claims and declarations, supported by a 1.2 billion dirham ($120 million USD) five-year digitalization strategy, and introducing a new retirement pension for individuals with between 1,320 and 3,240 days of insurance, along with transitional provisions for relevant categories.
This reform builds on the significant expansion of CNSS coverage, with Compulsory Health Insurance (AMO) now covering 11.38 million people, including 4 million principal insured persons and 7.29 million dependents. As of September 2024, state contributions to the CNSS reached 15.51 billion dirhams ($1.55 billion USD).
The passage of this bill represents a major step in modernizing Morocco’s social security system and ensuring its long-term sustainability. The reforms are expected to improve efficiency, enhance service delivery, and strengthen the CNSS’s ability to meet the evolving needs of the Moroccan population.
MK/ac/sf/lb/abj/APA