Federation says it will cause a sharp increase in fruit and vegetable exports from the North African country
Spanish fruit and vegetable exporter federation Fepex has denounced a new deal between the European Union and Morocco which extends tariff benefits to products from Western Sahara.
Fepex said it “strongly rejects” the new agreement, published in the Official Journal of the EU on 4 October, and now provisionally in effect. It claimed it will result in a sharp increase in fruit and vegetable exports from Morocco to the EU, further exacerbating competition with EU producers who face stricter labour and phytosanitary rules than growers in third countries.
According to the federation, Spanish tomato exports have fallen by 31 per cent in the last ten years due to increased competition from Morocco, dropping from 786,599 tonnes in 2014 to 591,098 tonnes in 2024. EU imports of Moroccan tomatoes have grown by 42 per cent in a decade, climbing from 345,416 tonnes in 2014 to 491,908 tonnes in 2023.
Consequently, Fepex stresses that, despite the lack of transparency in the negotiation process – which allowed the agreement to provisionally enter into force – the European Parliament should scrutinise the situation thoroughly and oppose final approval, as the deal contravenes the two CJEU rulings and disregards the harm it will cause to EU fruit and vegetable producers.
