THE AGREEMENT PROVIDES FOR A CONSIDERABLE INCREASE IN CURRENT CONCESSIONS AND LIBERALIZATION TOTAL IN DIS AMOS.

The European Commission (CE) hopes that the plenary session of the European Parliament will support the next day 15 February the agricultural agreement between the EU and Morocco, which will facilitate the entry into the community territory of North African fruits and vegetables. “The Commission believes that it is a balanced agreement, from which both the EU and Morocco will benefit and which will strengthen relations between both parties”, said the community Executive in a statement.

Brussels recalled that the Council has already endorsed the agreement and that now all that remains is for the EP to give its approval for its approval to become effective and to come into force.. The Commission considered that the European Parliament's International Trade Committee in favor of the pact is “a positive first step”.

The agreement provides for an increase in concessions on vegetables, sector in which Moroccan products constitute the 80 % of EU imports. Its application will imply the liberalization, within ten years, of all agri-food products, like fruits and vegetables.

Imports of products considered most sensitive for the community agricultural sector, found in flour-based foods, Strawberries, the zucchini, the cucumbers, garlic and clementines, will not be fully liberalized, although the quota that Morocco can introduce into the EU will increase and entry prices will be maintained.

Only some specific products will be exempt from liberalization (the beans, sweet almonds or apples), the cereals (except soft wheat, durum wheat and its derivatives) and dairy products (with the exception of liquid milk and whole milk powder).

In view of the vote of the plenary session of the 15 February, the Minister of Agriculture, Food and environment, Miguel Arias Canete, yesterday opted to raise awareness among MEPs about the consequences of the agreement, that Spain considers harmful to the interests of the Spanish agricultural sector.

So far, The EP Agriculture Committee has voted against the agreement, while that of International Trade has supported it.

Other committees of the European Parliament have already spoken about the agreement and while the Fisheries committee has supported its approval, that of Agriculture has asked that it be rejected.

If the plenary session of the European Parliament votes in favor of the agreement, The ratification process will be completed and the pact can enter into force.

The agricultural pact will imply reductions in tariffs and increases in export possibilities for products that compete with Andalusia, Murcia or the Canary Islands.

Among the deficiencies reported by the Spanish agricultural sector in relation to the agreement is the lack of adequacy of the quotas or preferential prices of the products., lower than what is established, for example in the case of tomatoes.