The Coordinator of Farmers and Ranchers Organizations (COAG) will take legal action for tax fraud against tomato importers Moroccan. This has been stated by the head of COAG’s fruit and vegetable sector, Andrés Góngoraduring the informative webinar on the implications of the ruling of the Court of Justice of the EU that declares illegal the free trade agreement between the EU and Morocco to include the territories of Western Sahara.
In the midst of an institutional struggle between the administration and agricultural associations over the free trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur, COAG, one of the leading associations in opposition to the agreement, has directed its protests towards another of the agreements signed by Spain regarding trade, that of cooperation with Morocco.
In a statement, the association states that the analysis carried out by COAG Technical Services clearly shows that Moroccan imports have far exceeded the quota of 285,000 tons per year of tax-free tomato, at a minimum price of 0.46 euros per kilo, which is included in the aforementioned agreement. Since 2019, Morocco would have exceeded 230,000 tons per year the limit that is exempt from fees.
«The calculations from our investigation show that companies that import tomatoes from Morocco would have had to pay 71.7 million euros to Spain in the last five years due to the surplus of tomatoes that they have introduced into the European market, around 14 million euros annually,” Góngora specified.
Likewise, he adds that “the accounts are as benevolent as possible with Morocco, since the amounts that come from the Western Sahara “They should enter the EU without the preferential conditions established for Morocco, which would increase the estimated numbers.” In this sense, the head of COAG has pointed out the complicity of the EU as well as the Spanish and French governments.
Institutions “pass the buck”
«During the last 10 years, COAG has repeatedly asked both the European Commission and the ministries of Agriculture, Economy and Finance, the amounts settled for agricultural imports from Morocco in terms of tariff rates and have not received responses clarifications on this matter.
«We have asked the European Commission about the matter, but the institution refers to the fact that it is the responsibility of each Member State to control tariff rates. For its part, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has redirected us to the ministries of Economy and Finance, and the only thing they have given us is silence in response,” he stated.
Regarding the ruling of the Court of Justice of the EU that declares the free trade agreement with Morocco ideal, the head of Fruits and Vegetables at COAG has requested that its application be immediatewithout grace periods. «European farmers have not had that grace period and we suffer day by day from the unfair competition of imports under the pernicious conditions of the Agreement.
Góngora added that “if the ruling has ruled that the agreement is not legal, the EU cannot close its eyes and keep an illegal agreement in force for 12 more months, just to favor certain transnational companieswhile producers continue to lose profitability and disappear.
In this sense, COAG has also demanded that the Spanish government position itself in favor of agricultural producers, given that they are the most harmed for the trade liberalization agreement between the EU and Morocco, and put pressure on the EU to annul it and to eliminate the serious effects it has on our productions.
#COAG #denounce #Moroccan #tomato #importers #tax #fraud #million #euros
