Brussels, 18/01/2001 (Agence Europe) - Morocco and the EU will meet on 15 January in Rabat in the Association Committee. This joint institution created in the framework of the association agreement will examine the conditions for the implementation of the agreement and the dossier presently open - economic and financial cooperation and agriculture - except, officially, that of the fishing negotiations. This session takes place after the entry into force of the agreement in March 2000, and the session of the Association Council at Ministerial level in October.
On agriculture, the talks will no doubt not allow to enter into the details: Morocco, concerned with the content of the negotiating mandate of the European Commission, it does not seem to be in a hurry to open the talks, even at technical level. In response to the first solicitations by Brussels, Rabat had emphasised the need to better study the initial impact of the measures to implement the association agreement before definitively entering into the agricultural negotiations. According to some Community observers, there is on the Moroccan side the concern not to let there interference be established between the agricultural chapter and that of fishing. It is also true that no issue touching agricultural trade seems pressing. The traditional tensions between Rabat and Madrid over Moroccan tomato exports, due to the quotas considered to be tight by the Moroccan exporters, are not on the agenda of this period marked by the weakness of Moroccan sales (the production has been affected by hygiene factors).