Banana sector urges EU to stand firm

Fruitnet.com 28 January 2009

The European Banana Producers Association has urged the EU not to concede to Ecuador over the banana tariff dispute

The European Union must not give in to Ecuador’s “threats” to take further action through the World Trade Organisation (WTO) against Europe and must instead redouble its defence of the banana tariff system, according to leading figure in EU banana sector.

The president of the European Association of Banana Producers (APEB), Leopoldo Cólogan, has called on EU leaders to reject Ecuador’s demand that Europe implements the staged reduction in the tariff as agreed at the Doha trade talks in July 2008.

Under the proposals, the EU had initially agreed to gradually reduce the current import tariff for non African, Caribbean and Pacific bananas to €114 by 2016.

“It’s unacceptable – the European Union can not give in to the threats from Ecuador and put in place a banana tariff that wipes out European banana producers,” Mr Cólogan told Diario de Avisos. “We hope that the governments of Spain, France and Portugal have something to say on the matter.”

According to Ecuador, the EU has refused to apply a reduced tariff of €148 – as required by a WTO ruling on the dispute – which was due to come into force on 1 January 2008, arguing that the ruling was subject to the conclusion of the abandoned Doha trade talks.