The European Parliament's Committee on Petitions addressed two interventions by Spanish MEPs Carmen Crespo and Mireia Borrás Pabón during its last session. The Spanish MEPs asked the European Commission to review the EU-Morocco Association Agreement. According to them, the current implementation seriously harms Spanish tomato growers. They also said the EU should comply with the Court of Justice of the EU's ruling of October 4, 2024, which stipulates that trade from Western Sahara must be excluded from tariff benefits and that the country of origin must be indicated on packaging.
During the July 17 session, Carmen Crespo called for a swift revision of the EU-Morocco agreement, arguing that its current application is generating an "unacceptable imbalance" on the European fruit and vegetable market, especially in southern Spain. Crespo called for effective reciprocity mechanisms, binding import quotas, and strict controls on the origin of products.
She also warned about inadequate oversight of the import prices of Moroccan tomatoes, which could lead to a loss of 70 million euros in tax revenue. Crespo wants Morocco to provide financial compensation if tax evasion is proven and for the EU to implement emergency measures to protect Europe's agricultural sector.
Mireia Borrás Pabón demanded that the Commission comply with the Court of Justice of the EU's ruling of October 4, 2024, excluding Saharan productions from the tariff advantages of the Association Agreement and the obligation to identify the country of origin. According to the MEP, it's been nearly a year since this ruling, and the European Commission has not explained how it plans to implement it. She called on them to do so urgently, as imports of Moroccan tomatoes are causing serious harm to Spanish producers.
The European Commission is expected to provide a written response to the MEPs' requests.
Spanish tomato imports from Morocco have grown by 269% in the past ten years, from 18,045 tons in 2014 to 66,624 tons in 2024. In the same period, Spanish production has decreased by 31%, from 2,320,990 tons in 2014 to 1,649,750 tons in 2024. Exports to other EU countries decreased by 25% from 786,599 tons in 2014 to 591,098 tons in 2024 (excluding the United Kingdom).
Officials from Fepex and the European Fruit and Vegetables Trade Association, Eucofel, attended this session of the Petitions Committee as part of the actions they are taking to denounce the damage that tomato imports from Morocco are causing to EU production and the need to implement the Court of Justice's ruling. Last month, they also met with different political groups of the European Parliament.
For more information: www.fepex.es
