France, Spain, Italy jointly ask to quit EU-Morocco FTA
Green Med Journal | 18/06/2010
FRANCE-SPAIN-ITALY JOINTLY ASK TO QUIT EU-MOROCCO FTA
The fresh produce organizations members of the Joint French-Spanish-Italian Committee wrote to the European Parliament to claim their vote against the renewal of the EU-Morocco Association Agreement.
The accord is actually pending ratification in the European Parliament. Letters were sent to some 250 MEPs in the Agriculture, Employment, Regional Development and International Trade, Committees.
The organizations signing the letter show their great concern at the outcome of the negotiation process for the FTA and its impact on the European fruit and vegetable sector, so they claim the EU political representatives to "implement all actions they can in defense of European farmers, producer organizations and cooperatives. "
As stated in the letters, the increase of trade concessions in fruits and vegetables to Morocco is severely damaging to the EU industry, especially when there is evidence of the continued breach of the agreement into force. "We see no need to extend the concessions to Morocco as long as monitoring, control and strict adherence to the agreement into force is not granted. Therefore no renewal of it should be ratified”.
Besides that, Spanish, French and Italians farmers think it necessary a reform of the entry prices system into the EU, to improve its functioning and prevent that frauds in imports are carried out. On the other hand, in the interest of European consumers and their food security, but also to achieve improved living and working conditions in the Mediterranean countries, it is considered necessary to allow access to European markets only when compliance with minimum working and health conditions’ standards of production are met in third Countries.
Signatory organizations: the French National Federation of Fruits Producers FNP, Légumes de France, Felcoop (Fédération Française de Coopération Fruitière et Légumière Horticole), Italian Farmers Confederation CIA, Italian Fedagri Confcooperative , Confagricoltura, UNAPROA, UIAPOA, Spain’s Agrarian Association of Young Farmers (ASAJA), COAG, UPA, Agrofood Cooperatives CA-a and the Spanish Fresh Produce producer-Exporters’ Federation FEPEX.
