Clara Aguilera, an MEP and Socialist spokesperson for the Agriculture Committee in the European Parliament, has asked the European Commission to correct the ineffectiveness of the EU entry price system for Moroccan tomato imports.
"The entry price is the only safeguard that the European sector has against imports that distort trade. In theory, it prevents products from accessing the Community market with prices below a security threshold," Aguilera stated.
The entry price of the Moroccan tomato was set in 1995. The improvement in its calculation, which was introduced in 2014, was later countered by the EC at the request of the Moroccan Government. Therefore, the entry price system does not work for Moroccan tomatoes, as it is impossible for their price to fall below a reference price set 25 years ago for the round tomato, without differentiating the value of other varieties, she stated.
Finally, Aguilera asked the European Commission when it plans to modify the system for calculating the global import value at a flat rate so that the entry price system is effective and protects the stability of the EU tomato market.
According to the MEP, the EU agreement with Morocco has been causing serious losses in the profitability of horticultural products from Granada, Almeria, and Murcia year after year. In tomatoes, for example, it has led to a decrease in production that is proportional to the irregular increase in the Moroccan tomato quota entering the EU.
Source: agrodigital.com