HIBAPRESS – Shafiq Anouri
The Spanish Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, Luis Planas, welcomed on Tuesday the Brussels proposal to amend the trade agreement between the European Union and Morocco to align with the Court of Justice ruling.
According to the Spanish News Agency, Planas described the new agreement, which, like its predecessor, includes the entire Moroccan territory, including its southern provinces, as "positive". "EFE" explained that Planas praised, during the opening of the "Fruit Attraction" fruits and vegetables exhibition, the European Commission's initiative to amend the 2019 agreement with Morocco, which the Court of Justice had annulled due to the lack of consultation with the "Sahrawis". The minister continued that the Court of Justice rulings had cast doubt on some aspects of the agricultural and maritime agreements with Morocco, adding that Brussels had begun negotiations to respond to the observations of the European judges. Planas said that the European Commission "has done a good job and presented it to the member states for the purpose of ratifying the agreement," adding, "I would like to emphasize that if both the legal body of the Commission and the Council of the Union (government representatives) agree on the proposal, then it is logical." The Spanish Minister of Agriculture went on to say that the agreement falls within the framework of bilateral relations between the European Union and Morocco, which he described as "very important" in the agricultural and food sector, as well as being a "strategic partnership that should not be forgotten". It is worth noting that the EU countries are scheduled to vote today, Wednesday, on the draft new trade agreements (agricultural and maritime) with Morocco.
