The European Commission on Monday welcomed the signing of an amended agricultural agreement between Morocco and the European Union (EU), aimed at extending preferential tariff treatment to the kingdom’s Western Sahara region.
The agreement was signed last Friday in Brussels through an exchange of letters between the two parties, reaffirming the strength of their multidimensional partnership and recognising the integrated status of Morocco’s southern provinces within bilateral trade relations.
“This agreement further strengthens the longstanding partnership between Rabat and Brussels,” the Commission stated in a press release issued on Monday, October 6.
The amended agricultural accord seeks to extend preferential tariff treatment to products from the region, ensuring legal certainty and continuity for economic operators, the statement noted. It also announced that talks on the matter will soon take place within the EU Council and the European Parliament.
The text specifies that proof of origin and product labeling must clearly indicate the production regions — Dakhla and Laâyoune — and ensures that the benefits of the agreement are effectively granted to the intended beneficiaries. The European Commission also emphasised that both sides are committed to deepening their cooperation in the coming months, notably through the conclusion of a strategic partnership agreement.
Building on the 2018 accord, this new agreement guarantees that agricultural products from the Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra and Dakhla-Oued Eddahab regions enjoy the same preferential access to the European market as goods produced in other parts of the kingdom.
Trade between Morocco and the EU exceeds €60 billion annually, encompassing both industrial and agricultural products.
AK/ac/lb/as/APA