Spain: “We must stop Saharan produce from reaching the EU as Moroccan”

The Coordinator of the Agricultural Producer and Livestock Farmer Organizations (COAG) is asking the European Union to tighten its border controls to prevent the entry into the EU of agricultural products grown in the territories of Western Sahara labelled as Moroccan.

A ruling of the EU Court of Justice has acknowledged that the territories of Western Sahara are outside of the trade agreement with Morocco because international law does not recognise the sovereignty of the Alawite kingdom over them. Consequently, it would be illegal for Saharan products to enter the EU under the terms of the agreement with Morocco. “In any case, the ruling is in line with statements made recently by the Spanish Minister of Agriculture García Tejerina, in which she said to be in favour of maintaining trade relations with Morocco. “We regret this position, since it prioritises agreements that seriously damage the interests of Spanish producers and hinder the free choice of European consumers,” affirmed Andrés Góngora, head for fruit and vegetables at COAG.

COAG had already complained in November 2012 that the EU-Morocco FTA infringed European legislation on the marketing of fresh fruit and vegetables by limiting the ability of consumers to clearly discern whether a product labelled as originating in Morocco came from this Kingdom or from Western Sahara. According to European fruit and vegetable legislation, products intended to be sold fresh to the consumer may only be marketed if they indicate the country of origin. Regarding this issue, a ruling of the EU Court of Justice on a lawsuit filed by the Polisario Front is still pending.

COAG rejected the terms of the approved agreement because it seriously damaged the economy of fruit and vegetable growing areas. In Spain, the fruit and vegetable sector generates half of the agricultural employment, more than a third of the final agricultural production and has an important weight in the trade balance (in the last campaign, the value of exports amounted to 10,500 million Euro). The renewal of the agreement meant a severe blow to the economy and employment. The increase in the tomato quota alone entailed a loss of 350,000 annual wages in Spain.