Rabat – Spanish Minister of Agriculture Luis Planas has again backed EU trade agreements with Morocco, describing the relationship as fundamental.
He made his remarks at a press conference today, rejecting proposals targeting EU-Morocco agreements, including the association deal.
The far-right and other parties have been targeting Morocco since the Ceuta mass crossing, accusing it of unfounded allegations related to hybrid war and blackmail.
Just recently, the European People’s Party (EPP) launched a smear campaign, including its proposal to suspend the association agreement that binds the EU and Morocco.
Planas responded to similar campaigns, reiterating that any challenges — including that of the Ceuta migration crisis — are not solved “through radical expressions or shouting.”
He described the proposals as “quite extreme,” recalling that the first trade agreement dates back to 2000 and the second to 2015.
He said these two agreements worked very well, pointing to “intersecting interests” between Rabat and Madrid.
Planas also commented on Morocco’s legislative elections, expressing his hope to see positive and constructive relations between Rabat and Madrid.
“And, above all, that everyone does their part so that these relationships, which are so important, which go far beyond a bilateral relationship between two countries because they are a relationship between two continents and are key, can indeed continue,” the Spanish minister said.
Planas’s remarks echoed Spanish foreign minister Jose Manuel Albares, who had also said earlier that Madrid can work with “any Moroccan government” to maintain good relations with Rabat.
Morocco’s legislative elections ended on Wednesday, with preliminary data putting the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) first with 97 seats.
Following the win, PAM also emphasized the importance of relations with Spain, acknowledging that the two countries experience divergences but maintain good ties, which are deep, historic, and necessary.
Last week, Planas made similar remarks, calling the EPP proposal a “huge mistake” and “complete nonsense.”
“I think it is a huge mistake and, if you ask me, even complete nonsense, because this association between the European Union and Morocco is of great strategic importance for stabilizing these relations, not only economically, but also in terms of migration and security,” Planas said at a press conference on Wednesday last week.
Planas also stressed that Spain is Morocco’s largest trading partner, noting that the EU-Morocco association agreement is also advantageous for Madrid in terms of economic balance.
“Let us not forget this,” he lamented, while criticizing Spain’s PP and accusing it of historical inconsistency and contradictory statements.
