The Spanish Popular Party has opened two fronts against Moroccan agricultural exports. In the House of Representatives, its group of deputies tabled a proposal, non-binding for the government, calling for the adoption of measures to ban imports of products, particularly from Morocco, containing residues higher than what is authorized in the European Union area (0.01 milligram per kg for products intended for human and animal consumption).
The Europa Press agency noted that the presentation of the PP proposal comes in the wake of “the discovery of a shipment of strawberries from Morocco contaminated by hepatitis A”. The PP asked the Sanchez executive to invite the EU to initiate the process of applying the safeguard clause to protect consumers. As a reminder, in June 2002, Madrid brandished this measure against imports of canned “satsuma” mandarin segments from China.
MEPs from the Popular group urged the government to call on the European Food Safety Authority to carry out a general study on products from third countries, mainly Morocco. While waiting for the results of this study to be known, the PP requests the suspension of international free trade agreements “in order to limit access to Spain and Europe of products coming from countries with an MRL (limit residue limit) higher than the standards established by the EU.
Alongside this front in the Spanish Parliament, the PP opened another in the European Parliament. Two of its MEPs asked the European Commission, in written questions, “to take urgent measures” against agricultural imports from Morocco which do not comply with phytosanitary standards in force within the EU.
The National Food Safety Office (ONSSA) announced in a press release that after analysis of samples of Moroccan strawberries intended for export to Europe, the latter were found to be negative for hepatitis. HAS.
