The Spanish Federation of Associations of Producers and Exporters of Fruits, Vegetables, Flowers and Live Plants (FEPEX) reiterated on Tuesday its warning of the impact of the recent EU-Morocco trade agreement, which covers products originating from occupied Western Sahara, calling on the European Parliament not to approve the agreement, saying it violates European Court of Justice rulings and threatens the EU agricultural sector.
The FEPEX Tomato Committee said in a statement that the new agreement, now provisionally in effect, contravenes the European Court of Justice ruling of 4 October 2024, which confirmed that the partnership agreement between the European Commission and Morocco regarding products from Western Sahara is illegal, as it was signed without the consent of the Sahrawi people.
The committee stated that the agreement signed by both parties on October 2nd does not meet the requirement of the consent of the Sahrawi people, despite the European Court’s confirmation that Western Sahara and Morocco are “separate and distinct territories.” FEPEX condemned the European Commission’s approval, on November 26th, of an amendment to Delegated Regulation 2023/2429 on marketing standards for fruit and vegetables, allowing products originating from Western Sahara to be marketed in the EU under the regional designations “Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab” and “El Aai?n-Sakia El Hamra” instead of “Western Sahara.” This runs counter to a ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union and to EU legislation requiring the country of origin to be indicated on labelling.
The committee further noted that, in addition to breaching judicial rulings, the agreement would expose the EU tomato sector to unfair competition from products originating in Western Sahara, as Morocco stands to benefit from unprecedented European Union funding in key sectors such as water (including irrigation) energy and desalination, to the detriment of Spanish and other European producers.
