Today, at COREPER, Member States will discuss and take a decision regarding the Commission’s proposal to amend the EU’s trade agreement with Morocco, following the European Court of Justice ruling of October 2024. The Court found that the agreement breached the principle of self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, who have never concluded any trade agreement with the EU.
The proposed amendment, through a legal adjustment, would extend the preferential tariffs granted to Morocco to products originating from Western Sahara. While such products would be required to indicate Western Sahara as their place of origin, the conformity certificates would still be issued by Morocco. European farmers’ organisations warn that this sets a dangerous precedent, undermines market fairness, and calls into question the EU’s respect for international rulings.
A key concern lies in the proposed labelling mechanism, which would create a new code or designation for Sahrawi products, effectively presenting them as Moroccan. This would mislead consumers and create unfair competition for European producers. EU farmers are already strongly affected by the preferential tariffs granted to Moroccan products; especially for products such as tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables, under this arrangement, they would also be forced to accept preferential access for products that do not even originate in Morocco, without any negotiation taking place.
For these reasons, we urge EU institutions to reconsider the agreement in its current form. The European farming sector calls for full transparency in product labelling and insists that EU trade policy must remain consistent with the principles of international law.
Fonte: Copa Cogeca
