Spanish government supports EU-borne concessions to Morocco over vegetables

Spain said it supports granting concessions to Moroccan fruits and vegetables, provided that these concessions are borne by all the European Union countries.

Spanish foreign minister, Josep Pique, told reporters at the end of a meeting with the Spanish association of vegetable producers, that ongoing negotiations with Morocco over fishing and agriculture are two separate files and ruled out any "fish-for-tomatoes" deal.

He insisted that all EU countries should bear in a fair way their share in the needed concessions.

Sources close to the association said they discussed with the minister the agriculture component of the Morocco-EU association agreement and Spanish vegetable growers transmitted him their refusal of any new concessions to Moroccan fruits and vegetables.