Latest news with #CarmenCrespo
Ya Biladi
5 days ago
- Business
- Ya Biladi
European People's Party demands urgent review of EU Morocco trade deal
The European People's Party (EPP) has called for an urgent review of the trade agreement between the European Union and Morocco, warning of an «unacceptable imbalance» in the European fruit and vegetable market, particularly affecting southern Spain. The remarks were made before the Petitions Committee in the European Parliament. MEP Carmen Crespo urged the introduction of mandatory customs quotas and effective reciprocity mechanisms, along with stricter monitoring and the exclusion of any products originating from Western Sahara, in line with the October 2024 ruling by the European Court of Justice. The ruling reaffirmed that Western Sahara is a «separate and distinct territory» from Morocco and cannot be included in trade agreements without the consent of its people. Crespo highlighted an 18% increase in Moroccan tomato imports, from 492,000 to roughly 580,000 tons, blaming this surge for a collapse in prices faced by European producers, who, she argued, are unable to compete with products that fall short of EU social and environmental standards. She also raised concerns about potential tax evasion amounting to an estimated €70 million, criticizing the reduction of customs duties rather than updating entry prices for Moroccan goods, and condemned the practice of labeling Western Saharan exports as Moroccan. Crespo called for the activation of EU safeguard measures and financial compensation from Morocco should tax evasion be confirmed. She also criticized what she described as the «inaction» of certain EU governments, particularly Spain, for failing to protect the interests of local farmers.
Ya Biladi
23-03-2025
- Business
- Ya Biladi
EU dismisses tax fraud allegations against Moroccan tomato exports
«The European Commission has not detected any tax fraud» in the export of Moroccan tomatoes to the European Union, an Iberian media outlet reported on Saturday, March 22. This clarification came from European Commissioner for Agriculture, Christophe Hansen, in response to a written question from Spanish MEP Carmen Crespo of the Popular Group. «These imports comply with the terms of the 2012 association agreement», he stated. The commissioner noted that since 2019, Morocco has exported fresh tomatoes beyond the tariff quota set by the agreement. However, he emphasized that these imports remain legal as long as the corresponding customs duties are paid. «The total amount of duties collected by customs authorities for these imports amounts to €81,088,776 for the period 2019-2024», he specified. He confirmed that imports exceeding the quota are subject to customs duties and are therefore fully compliant with the agreement between Morocco and the EU. In February, MEP Carmen Crespo had submitted a written question to the European Commission, requesting an investigation into a possible tax fraud by Morocco for allegedly exceeding duty-free import limits for tomatoes. She claimed that "exceeding the duty-free export quotas has resulted in tax fraud amounting to more than €71.7 million since 2019." These accusations have now been dismissed by the EU.
