One of the three large employers’ associations in the countryside, the Coordinator of Farmers and Ranchers Organizations (COAG), warned last Friday that will take legal action against Moroccan tomato importers. This was stated by its spokesperson and head of the organization’s fruit and vegetable sector, Andrés Góngora, during an informative ‘webinar’ on the implications of the ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Union, which declares illegal the free trade agreement between the EU and Morocco for including the territories of Western Sahara.
The organization has carried out an analysis on fraud on the border with Morocco and its results have shown that Moroccan imports have “far exceeded” the quota of 285,000 tons per year of duty-free tomatoesat a minimum price of 0.46 euros per kilo, which is included in the aforementioned agreement. According to its results, since 2019 Morocco would have exceeded the duty-free limit by around 230,000 tons per year.
A loss of around 14 million euros per year
“The calculations from our research show that companies that import tomatoes from Morocco They should have paid 71.7 million euros to Spain in the last five years for the surplus of tomatoese that they have introduced into the European market, around 14 million euros annually“, Góngora specified.
However, the spokesperson assures that “the accounts are as benevolent as possible towards Morocco.” Explain that quantities coming from Western Sahara should enter the EU without the preferential conditions established for Morocco. “This would increase the estimated numbers,” he adds.
Points out the Government as an accomplice
The head of COAG does not stop there, but also points out the complicity of the EU and the Spanish and French governments. “During the last 10 years, COAG has repeatedly asked both the European Commission and the ministries of Agriculture, Economy and Finance for the amounts settled for agricultural imports from Morocco in terms of tariff rates, and has not received clarifying responses to the respect,” he lamented.
“We have asked the European Commission about the matter, but the institution refers to the fact that it is the responsibility of each Member State to control tariff rates. For its part, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has redirected us to the ministries of Economy and Finance, which the only thing they have given us is silence in response,” he added.
“The EU cannot keep an illegal agreement in force for 12 more months”
Regarding the ruling of the Court of Justice of the EU that declares the free trade agreement with Morocco illegal, the head of Fruits and Vegetables at COAG asked that its application be immediate, without grace periods: “European farmers have not had that grace period and we suffer day after day from unfair competition from imports under the pernicious conditions of the agreement”the spokesperson complains.
In this regard, he adds that “If the ruling has ruled that the agreement is not legal, the EU cannot close its eyes and maintain an illegal agreement in force for 12 more months, only to favor certain transnational companies, while we producers continue to lose profitability and disappear.”
Finally, the organization also demanded that the Spanish Government position itself in favor of agricultural producers and pressure the EU to annul the agreement.