A proposal for a bilateral agreement between the EU and Morocco on Liberalization of agricultural and fish products between the EU and the UK brings the European Parliament to e anger European agricultural producersespecially this one Italian and Spanish. Green light off Brussels risk punishing them severely by capping tariffs on products discount and placing on the European market cheap goods. In this regard, between 2011 and 2012, the envoys of the North African Kingdom and Antonio Panzeri they request the adoption of the resolution, which will be put to the vote on 16 February 2012. The former Article 1 MEP, despite being elected by Italian citizens, will take action to persuade his party comrades to back the green light. And like him, the then President of the European People’s Party was contacted by the representatives of the Maghreb state. Joseph Daul.
This can be read in a letter from the Moroccan envoy Strasbourg goes back almost ten years before the Belgian Public Prosecutor’s Office investigated some politicians who were accused of having been bribed by the Belgian Public Prosecutor’s Office Rabat Secret Service to influence the decisions of the EU Parliament, and since 2015 contained in a larger dossier of cables uploaded online: the Maroc Leaks, exposing Rabat’s lobbying maneuvers around the world. The rejection of the agreement on fishery products with the European Union took place on December 14, 2011 “a shock” for Morocco and their allies in the European Parliament. The vote on “mutual liberalization measures for agricultural and fishery products” between the EU and the Kingdom is therefore an opportunity to remedy what the Moroccan Panzeri would have defined himself “an accident”. An offer from billion euro for which, however, the cooperation of friendly MPs was required. Thus the Maghreb government moves between the corridors of the plenary in an attempt to persuade the two main political families, the Populares and the Socialists, to support them within Parliament Parliamentary Committee on International Trade (INTA) the motion for a resolution, which will then be adopted by the Eurochamber on 16 February 2012 European agricultural producers trying to obstruct the new deal.
In this regard, Morocco is requesting the help of Panzeri and Daul through talks conducted by the Kingdom’s envoy. “The President of the EPP expressed optimism about the prospects of approval of the agreement in INTA and in plenary – explains the diplomat – Mr Daul told me that the EPP commissioned its official line for the vote on 26). However, based on the information given to him by the MEPs of the group and the political advisers in the secretariats, he confided in me that the general tendency of the groups is correct in favor of the agreement“. And it will be, as the EPP will vote in favor of the resolution by a large majority.
On the other hand, the position of the Social Democratic Group is more uncertain due to fears the impact on European agriculture. Concerns that are also confirmed in the final text of the resolution submitted to the EU Parliament. Inside S&Dsay they were detained recent, close and “stormy” encounters on why the European agricultural sectors, particularly Italian and Spanish, would be most affected. This is where Panzeri comes in: the politician, in agreement with the Rabat authorities, advocates the adoption of the resolution. The news leaked by the socialist group speaks of “Surprise and Shock” for the recent refusal, sentiments which “according to various sources” from Morocco within the group “make MEPs more cautious and less inclined to repeat it ‘the accident’ (as Mr. Panzeri says)”. The former MEP is trying to influence the vote of his party colleagues: “A strong current within the S&D, led by the head of the Maghreb delegation, Antonio Panzeri, is pushing for the split between the agriculture agreement and the Question of the Sahara (about which the human rights activists fought, editor’s note), while promising a debate on the latter in the relevant bodies of parliament”. The result is that the majority of Social Democrats will also support the resolution, including Panzeri e Marc Tarabellathe Belgian MEP whose assistants’ offices were recently raided in the EU following the bribery scandals in Qatar and Morocco.
A success for the North African country, which can thus increase the flow of exports of agricultural and fish products to the EU: in 2010, exports to Europe already amounted to around 2 billion euros. In fact, the agreement provided for this liberalization with immediate effect from 55% customs dutiesfrom 33% then and the liberalization of 70% of EU agricultural and fisheries tariffs over ten years from 1% then. A sector, the agricultural one, that applies to Rabat between 15% and 20% of GDP and 12% of the country’s exports and absorb the 38% of the workforce.
Panzeri’s commitment will continue even after the approval of another decision of principle, theEuro-Mediterranean Agreement of 2013, which widens the range of import/export liberalizations between Morocco and the EU. As indicated in the Rabat Parliament’s 2012-2013 report on the activities of the Morocco-EU joint commission, the Maghreb country “managed to have the passage saying that The products did not benefit the people of the south“. And the former Italian MEP was also decisive in this action, who “helped to sensitize the MEPs to the allegations made by the opponents of Morocco”.