Exports of fruit and vegetables from Morocco and other Mediterranean countries to the EU : some policy recommendations from the Covid pandemic

Abstract

The inward flows of fruits and vegetables in the European Union are regulated by the import regime, consisting of a system of quotas and Entry Prices. The effectiveness of this trade policy has been under investigation since the early 2000s and is (still) debated. The pandemic has offered new insights. Growth in trade of fruit and vegetables (F&V) in the Mediterranean region, especially in Morocco, slowed down during the Covid-19 crisis. While reductions in trade of F&V are likely to be associated with shocks caused by the pandemic, the long-lasting effects of a well-established system of policy interventions in the sector should not be neglected. In other words, the effects of the Covid pandemic have only altered the volumes of F&V trade from Mediterranean countries. However, the continued occurrence of excess (low priced) imports of F&V from the Mediterranean region reinforces policy recommendations that point at the need to reform trade policy. The EU import regime should be simplified, by relaxing the controls on prices of imported F&V, and by negotiating off-season import quotas. The former would shrink running costs while the latter would lower competition among EU producers and Mediterranean exporters.