EU-Morocco: Accord on agricultural trade liberalisation
21 December 2009
EU-MOROCCO: ACCORD ON AGRICULTURAL TRADE LIBERALISATION
(ANSAmed) - BRUSSELS - A jump forward in the project for a Euro-Mediterranean free trade area with the agreement reached after four years of negotiations between the EU and Morocco for the liberalisation of products in the food and agricultural and fishing sectors. The official announcement arrived from the European Commission which considers it ’’an important step’’ for trade relations between the EU 27 and the kingdom of Morocco, in line with the commitments made as a part of the Barcelona process.
The acoord, Brussels explained, reinforces the position of European exporters in the Moroccan market, above all in the processed food sector. In this sector complete and progressive liberalisation is expected over the next 10 years, except for some pastas which will have quantity limits. There will also be novelties in the fishing sector, where products from the EU will benefit from the same process of liberalisation over the next 10 years.
For the entering into vigour of this new agreement there will be the need to wait for some months, seeing as the text must first be adopted by the commission, to then receive the go-ahead from the member states and the European Parliament. In particular, in the sector of agricultural products, the agreement between the EU and Morocco provides for the immediate liberalisation of 45% of the value of EU exports, which will become 70% in ten years. The fruit and vegetable growing sector and conserved products for the EU, leaving out broad beans, sweet almonds, apples and tomato concentrate (for which there have been contingent tariff negotiations) will be entirely liberalised within the next 10 years. Then access to Morocco for the entrance of cereal and dairy products from the EU (except for liquid milk and whole powder milk), and oleaginous plants and cereal (except for soft and hard wheat and their derivatives). For more sensitive products which will not be the object of complete liberalisation, like meat, cured meats, wheat, olive oil, apples and tomato concentrate, Rabat has improved conditions for access to the market in the form of contingent tariffs.
For its part, Morocco will earn from the very beginning 55% of EU imports from the country. Improving conditions for products considered sensitive for the EU, respecting the complementary relationship between the two production systems. The production calendar have remained unaltered for products like tomatoes, strawberries, zucchini, cucumbers, garlic and clementines, but increasing progressively the quantities of products involved in the liberalisation scheme. For example in the case of tomatoes, which over four years will see increased volume, from 233,000 tonnes to 285,000 tonnes. Among other things, Rabat and Brussels have also agreed to begin negotiations on the protection of food provenance. (ANSAmed).
