The European Commission has categorically denied any tax evasion by Morocco regarding its tomato exports to European Union countries, in response to accusations made by Carmen Crespo, a Member of the European Parliament from Spain’s People's Party and former Deputy Minister of Agriculture in Andalusia.
According to El Economista, a Spanish economic daily, the EU’s Commissioner for Agriculture, Christophe Hansen, clarified in an official response that Moroccan tomato exports exceeding the agreed-upon tariff quota are in full compliance with EU regulations and are subject to customs duties—which, according to the Commissioner, Morocco has indeed been paying.
Crespo had formally asked the Commission whether it intended to investigate what she described as "customs duty evasion" by Morocco, alleging that the Kingdom was exploiting the Spanish government’s leniency to exceed the volume of duty-free tomato exports allowed under the agreement. She claimed this practice undermines fair competition and negatively impacts Spanish farmers.
According to El Economista, Crespo further alleged that this supposed over-exporting resulted in what she described as “tax evasion” amounting to more than €71.7 million since 2019—an accusation the European Commission unequivocally rejected. The Commission explained that customs duties on Moroccan tomato imports are regularly collected by the competent EU authorities.
To underline Morocco’s compliance with its fiscal obligations, Commissioner Hansen stated that EU customs authorities had collected around €81 million in duties on Moroccan tomato imports between 2019 and 2024, effectively debunking allegations of tax evasion.
The Commissioner also clarified that exceeding the tariff quota does not constitute a breach of the EU-Morocco Association Agreement. On the contrary, the agreement permits continued exports beyond the quota as long as the applicable duties are paid—an arrangement embedded in the current trade framework between Rabat and Brussels.
It is worth noting that the tomato sector is one of the most prominent areas of agricultural cooperation between Morocco and the EU. Under the Association Agreement, Morocco benefits from preferential conditions in return for respecting market rules and customs commitments.
Despite attempts by some Spanish political parties to blame declining profits for local farmers on Moroccan agricultural imports, the European Commission’s latest clarification confirms that there has been no breach by Morocco. The Commission emphasized that all imports are subject to strict customs oversight at EU ports.
This clarification from Brussels aims to put an end to repeated claims by Spain’s People's Party, which has accused Morocco of flooding the European market with low-cost agricultural products, allegedly causing financial harm to European—particularly Spanish—farmers. The People's Party is currently the largest opposition party in Spain.
