The General Court of the European Union has annulled part of the agricultural agreement between the EU and Morocco; in particular, that relating to the extension to the Western Sahara of the preferences granted to Morocco under the Association Agreement. It has also annulled the partnership agreement on sustainable fishing.
The ruling admitted the appeals issued by the Polisario Front against the agreements with Morocco, considering that there was no consent of the Saharawi people for the inclusion of its territory and products in the agreements. Thus, the Court acknowledged that products grown in the Sahara are being marketed as Moroccan.
However, the Court's ruling states that the effects of these agreements "are maintained for a certain period of time in order to preserve the external action of the (European) Union and the legal certainty of its international commitments," so for the time being nothing will change for fruit and vegetable exports from the Maghreb country, according to Fepex, the Spanish Federation of Associations of Producers and Exporters of Fruit and Vegetables. Morocco and the EU have made a joint statement in which they have confirmed their full commitment to continue cooperating.
You can read the statement here:
In Spanish
"The Agricultural Agreement with Morocco and the revision to extend the tariff advantages agreed in 2019 to the Sahara have a direct impact on the Spanish fruit and vegetable production, since the same products are offered during the same periods, without the competitive conditions being the same," said a representative of Fepex.
If the ruling eventually stands, the fruit and vegetable productions of Western Sahara, which constitute a growing part of Moroccan exports to the EU, should be treated as products from a third country, without the concessions made under the Association Agreement between the EU and Morocco.
Fepex also believes that Moroccan fruit and vegetable exports should respect the provisions of the Agreement, especially the effective implementation of the entry price system. "The European Commission should also enforce the cooperation and safeguard clauses, given the serious damage that EU products are suffering, caused by the huge gap between EU and Moroccan production standards and labor costs."
For its part, the General Confederation of Moroccan Companies (CGEM) said that "the stability of trade relations between the European Union and the Kingdom of Morocco, as important economic partners, is a guarantee of a win-win partnership. We remain convinced that solidarity and sustainable trade between the EU and Morocco ensure the security of the region and its people. We will continue to work to develop the multiple dimensions of this strategic EU-Morocco partnership, in terms of economic, social and environmental growth."