Eduardo González
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, met yesterday in Paris with importers of Spanish food and fruit and vegetable products, to whom he informed that both he and the Spanish Embassy in France and the Spanish consular network have informed the French authorities the discomfort due to the incidents suffered by transporters and the defense of Spanish products.
“I am at the Spanish Embassy in Paris, where I have received importers of Spanish food and fruit and vegetable products from the Parisian market of Rungis, the main food market in all of Europe, with a volume of Spanish products similar to that of Mercamadrid or the of Mercabarna,” the minister declared to the press at the end of the meeting.
“We have agreed to join forces to defend the quality of our fruits, our vegetables and our food products and also to defend our transporters and guarantee the free movement of goods and the single European market,” he added.
During the meeting, Albares expressed his support for Spanish transporters and farmers and described as “unacceptable” the incidents suffered by transporters of Spanish products in the framework of the French agricultural protests, as well as the statements against Spanish products, “of high quality and that fully comply with the applicable European regulations.”
Likewise, he recalled that France and Spain are “two key partners” in the agricultural sector, which has an important social and territorial structure component. As EU Member States, he added, “we defend a common market built on the basis of the Common Agricultural Policy and the free movement of goods, among other policies.”
Minister Albares wanted to expressly thank the words and solidarity of the French Minister of Agriculture, Marc Fesneau, which, in his opinion, are proof that Spain and France are two key partners in the agri-food sector.
José Manuel Albares also warned of the importance of maintaining the European common market, in the face of the rise of Eurosceptic movements, a common market that, he highlighted, is “particularly important in this sector, guaranteeing our food security, our territorial cohesion and the preservation of the social fabric.”
Present at the meeting were Nicolas Morinière, vice president of Compagnie Fruitière, a large fruit importing and distributing group in Europe and particularly in Spain; Philippe Lliso, president of Rafael López, historical operator of the Rungis International Market, with numerous links to Spain; Jesus Bordils, president of Bordils, historical operator of the Rungis International Market and also with important links with Spain; Julien Fenes, president of Primeurs Saint Denis, historical operator of the Rungis International Market, with numerous links to Spain; Olivier Herrera, founding president of Fresal, operator in the Rungis Market, specialized in the import of fruits and vegetables from Spain and specialized in red fruits.; Veronika Soboleva, wife of Olivier Herrera and executive president of Fresal; and Franck Lliso, general director of Select Agrumes, historical operator of the Rungis International Market and, like some of the attendees, with numerous links to Spain.
