European agricultural producers' federation Copa-Cogeca has voiced its support for EU Farm Commissioner Dacian Cioloş in a dispute between the EU and Morocco on the issue of tomato imports from the North African country.
“We offer our full support to Commissioner Ciolos,' said Copa-Cogeca secretary-general Pekka Pesonen. 'We cannot go back to the former entry price system for tomatoes which governed fruit and vegetables imports to the EU, as it was open to fraud and abuse.
'It is unacceptable that Morocco has stopped negotiations with the EU on non-agricultural matters over this issue,' he continued. 'The new system in line with general custom rules has already been agreed and will come into force on 1 October this year. We cannot return to the old system that did not work properly.
“We also agree with Commissioner Ciolos that compensation should not be offered in the form of an additional import quota for tomatoes to Morocco,' Pesonen added. 'Already we import a lot from Morocco, and imports are increasing rapidly, expected to reach some 400, 000 tonnes in 2014/15. We hope the dispute can be resolved swiftly and trade can continue as normal.'
