EU Parliament Gives Green Light for EU-Morocco Trade Deal

The agreement will immediately reduce or remove 55% of tariffs on Morocco agricultural and fisheries products (up from 33%) and 70% of tariffs on EU agricultural and fisheries products within 10 years (rising from 1%).

Feb 17 2012 --- The EU Parliament has given its consent to liberalise EU-Morocco trade in agricultural and fisheries products, while adopting a resolution highlighting a number of concerns. The votes on Thursday follow approval on Tuesday to allow Morocco to participate in certain EU programmes.

Parliament's green light (369 votes in favour, 225 against and 31 abstentions) allows an increase in certain quotas for zero or low duty imports and represents a step towards a more extensive free trade agreement.

The agreement will immediately reduce or remove 55% of tariffs on Morocco agricultural and fisheries products (up from 33%) and 70% of tariffs on EU agricultural and fisheries products within 10 years (rising from 1%).

The trade deal is intended to boost EU-Morocco ties and support the transition to democracy following the Arab Spring. A majority of MEPs say the agreement will help alleviate economic, migratory and security problems.

The agreement includes safeguards, for example by allowing only moderate increases to quotas of certain products, such as tomatoes, strawberries, cucumbers and garlic. The deal also provides for seasonal quotas to counter distortion of the EU market and says Moroccan imports should meet European sanitary standards.

A significant minority of MEPs, including rapporteur José Bové (Greens/EFA, FR), who withdrew his name from the report after the plenary vote, opposed granting consent, amid concerns regarding small-scale farmers in the EU and environment and labour conditions in Morocco. Opponents also cited the inclusion of the disputed Western Sahara region in the deal as being incompatible with international law.

In an accompanying resolution adopted by MEPs by 398 in favour, 50 abstentions and 175 against, Parliament called on the Commission to monitor strict application of quotas and strengthen controls to avoid alleged fraud in the entry price system. The resolution also requests an assessment of the impact on European producers and farmers' incomes.

On Tuesday, Parliament gave its consent to an agreement with Morocco that sets out the general principles for participation in EU programmes. Morocco has expressed an interest in programmes in the fields of competitiveness and innovation, freight transport, customs and air traffic control.

FoodDrinkEurope has welcomed the European Parliament’s consent to the ‘EU-Morocco agreement on agricultural products and fishery products’.

“The Parliament has sent a positive signal to the EU’s trade partners by breaking down trade barriers at a time when the relationship between the EU and the Southern Mediterranean region is high on the EU’s agenda,” the trade body reported in a statement.

“This agreement is particularly relevant to Europe’s food industry, given that the EU’s current trade deficit in foodstuffs exceeds €600 million – and Morocco benefits from asymmetric access to the European market under the existing bilateral agreement and the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP),” the group stated.

Speaking following the vote, Jesús Serafín Pérez, President of FoodDrinkEurope, said: “We welcome the Parliament’s consent to the agreement on agricultural products between the EU and Morocco. It represents a step towards granting food and drink manufacturers’ better access to the Moroccan market, improving the bilateral trade balance. Food operators now look forward to seeing further improvements in the regulatory environment with a view to strengthening trade relations with this increasingly important trading partner.”