The position of the European Union (EU) on the labelling of Moroccan products has not changed, Peter Stano the spokesman for Vice-President Josep Borrell said yesterday (6 February) in Brussels during the daily midday press briefing.
The EU position remains as it has always been and applies to all imports into the European market from all countries or territories, including the Western Sahara “which is covered by the EU-Morocco agreement in the agricultural field which entered into force in July 2019 ”.
Clarifying the EU position on labelling, Stano said that this is determined by Council Regulation No 1234/2007 for the fruit and vegetable sectors, which sets out the criteria to be met for the placing on the market of these products. “The customs authorities of the Member States are responsible for ensuring the implementation of the regulation,” he went on to say.
Regarding the question of Western Sahara more generally, the position of the European Union has not changed: the fact remains that Western Sahara is a non-self-governing territory of the United Nations, a territory whose final status is currently the subject of a process conducted under the aegis of the United Nations.
The EU fully supports this process and the EU position is determined by the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, including the last one dating from October 2019.