The far-right Spanish party VOX once again attacked Morocco, with one of its MPs calling for the “immediate suspension” of Morocco’s agricultural agreement with the European Union. José Muñoz, ultra-radical politician and VOX deputy, blamed Morocco for decreased vegetable output in Spain, in a recent parliamentary session, according to a press release from VOX on Thursday.
Muñoz is greatly agitated that Moroccan exports are increasing due to the greatly increased demand for these foodstuffs. He used a statistical comparison which showed the disparity between products of Spanish versus Moroccan origin, and then concluded, “Morocco’s tomato exports outperform Spain in the global market. While Morocco boosted its sales by 38.05%, Spain lowered them by 23.97% and–at a national level–the Moroccan tomato already represents 80%.”
He declared his resolve to reject both Brussels and the 2030 political agenda in Morocco. Muñoz claimed that the agreement with Morocco would boost imports of a variety of products, including tomatoes, eggplants, zucchinis, garlic, cucumbers, oranges, clementines, melons, and strawberries, while also asserting that Spanish farmers are losing harvests as a result of climate change initiatives.
The deputy went so far as to criticize French President Emmanuel Macron, citing the impact on Spain’s agricultural economy and the potential loss of food sovereignty, stating, “We will not allow ourselves to be Mr. Macron’s scapegoat. All this is clearly detrimental to Spanish agri-food production, something that is clearly seen in the example of tomatoes.”
He condemned the EU for providing insufficient direct support for Spanish farmers, claiming bureaucracy and “unfair competition.”
Muñoz further raised alarm about the reliance on imports, saying, “We cannot allow treaties like the one with Morocco and the European Green Deal to persecute and criminalize our farmers.”
The deputy pointed out that VOX is unique in opposing these agreements among the major parties in the European Chamber.
In the meantime, Spanish farmers are stepping up their demonstrations, seeking flexibility in EU agricultural regulations. Some demonstrations have turned violent, with participants in Jerez, Andalusia, this week stopping and ransacking a Moroccan truck transporting Moroccan tomatoes.
This conduct is a continuation of VOX’s longstanding anti-Moroccan stance, with the far-right party targeting the North African country on many occasions. The party’s language, which is sometimes labelled as hate speech, has become a polarizing instrument in its internal politics.
Last May, Vox failed to get sufficient votes on the regional ballot in the occupied enclaves of Sebta and Melilla. The party had counted on these elections to secure representation on the councils of the two cities.