ENPI INFO CENTRE
The European Commission is anxious to reassure European farmers, who are often worried about the access granted to countries on the southern shore of the Mediterranean under agreements with the EU, as revealed in recent debates in Parliament on Tunisian olive oil and frequently on tomatoes and fruits and vegetables from Morocco.
“The EU Agreements with Morocco and Tunisia include safeguard measures which can be taken in the event of serious disturbance to the EU markets caused by significant increases of imported quantities. The Commission services monitor both the evolution of the EU markets and the imports of fruits and vegetables regularly”, said Phil Hogan, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, in response to a parliamentary question.
In his answer, on Monday 11 April 2016, the Commissioner added: “Imports of agricultural food products are subject to the same food safety requirements applied for EU products, in line with the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement of the World Trade Organisation and to international standards such as the Codex Alimentarius. Control of compliance with SPS measures and product labelling is the responsibility of the Member States which did not notify infringements requiring action at EU level so far.”
Source: http://www.europarl.europa.eu
