COAG estimates tax evasion in Moroccan tomato imports to the EU at around 72 million

Published 2025년 1월 16일

Tridge summary

The agricultural organization COAG is contemplating legal action against what it considers to be 'fiscal crimes' in the form of undeclared and unpaid tariffs on Moroccan tomato imports into the EU, amounting to 71.8 million euros since 2019. The organization believes that the volume of imports exceeds the agreed quota, leading to under-declared tariffs and resulting in unfair competition for Spanish and French producers. COAG is looking into several legal routes, including involving the EU Court of Auditors and the EU Court of Justice, and may also collaborate with other organizations and the Polisario Front. The backdrop of this situation is the EU Court of Justice's ruling, which has been partially executed, on the annulment of the EU-Morocco trade agreement due to its alleged violation of Sahrawi interests, and the requirement for specific certificates to label products from Western Sahara.

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Original content

The agricultural organisation COAG has estimated the value of Moroccan tomato imports into the Community territory at 71.8 million euros without paying tariffs since 2019. It is considering legal action. The agricultural organization considers that these unliquidated imports constitute a "fiscal crime" against which it is considering appealing to the courts of the European Union (EU). COAG presented these calculations this Thursday during a virtual conference in which it analyzed both the rulings of the Court of Justice of the EU against the trade agreement with Morocco and the impact of its imports, especially fruit and vegetables. The conference was attended by representatives of the Polisario Front, NGOs involved in the conflict with Western Sahara and the Confédération Paysanne, a French agricultural organization. The sector manager for fruits and vegetables at COAG, Andrés Góngora, has detailed that according to calculations from 2019 until now, Moroccan importers have left ...

Source: PEefeagro