Brussels, 22/12/2009 (Agence Europe) - The consequences of the new agreement between the EU and Morocco (see EUROPE 10043), which liberalises trade in all fruit and vegetables, “will be disastrous for fruit and vegetable production in the EU and, especially, for tomatoes,” says a press release published on Monday 21 December by COPA (Committee of Professional Agricultural Organisations in the EU) and COGECA (General Confederation of Agricultural Cooperatives in the EU).
The two organisations say that European fruit and vegetable producers have to meet “the most stringent conditions in the world on environmental protection, working conditions and food safety”. The agreement provides for liberalisation of trade in all fruit and vegetables and establishes import quotas which are considerably higher than in the previous agreement on six sensitive products: tomatoes, courgettes, cucumbers, garlic, clementines and strawberries.
Before considering increasing quotas for sensitive products from Morocco, “the European Commission should have studied the socio-economic impact of such a move and put in place compensatory measures in the EU's traditional areas of production,” COPA and COGECA say.
The fruit and vegetable sector has been in difficulty for over 12 months, with its turnover dropping by an average of 7.7% in 2009, equivalent to a loss of €5.7 billion. (L.C./transl.rt)