Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-04-07-Speech-4-079-000"
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"en.20110407.5.4-079-000"2
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"Mr President, last October, I tabled a written question to the Commission concerning the discrepancies between the figures in the different EU services on the EU import of tomatoes from Morocco.
In 2008, there were about 100 000 tonnes in difference between DG TAXUD and Eurostat. The Commission answered that it had observed the problem and was solving it, but it is not clear to me whether the Commission will achieve what European citizens and European producers deserve.
In the European Union, we import tomatoes not only from Morocco but also from other third countries. We should find a way for negotiations to be very fair to everyone and not at the expense of the European agriculture sector. We should also find a way to control what we are importing from other countries outside the EU, especially in some northern European ports. Without effective border controls, the European agriculture sector will have a very difficult future.
If European production of tomatoes is damaged by the EU-Morocco Agreement, it will be very difficult to regain production on EU soil. The rules and the obligations should be applied to everyone, which means fair competition. What we cannot accept is the application of different rules and duties to a European producer and an agricultural producer outside the EU. Accepting this means accepting the loss in competitiveness of our agricultural sector and a huge effect on the labour force in Europe. I am in favour of free trade, but under symmetric conditions of production and information. If they do not exist, free trade is not fair trade and competition is not fair competition.
Finally, I do not think that Parliament should ratify the EU-Morocco Agreement without the inclusion of clauses concerning the labour market, the social dimension and the environment in Morocco. If this does not happen, we may lose our European farming activity and our food chain industry."@en1
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