Brussels, 20/12/2000 (Agence Europe) - The "Agriculture" Council approved, Tuesday evening, unanimously with the exception of the United Kingdom, the modification of the common market organisation for bananas that aims to resolve the Euro-American conflict by introducing the "first come, first served" system for all the contingents, while foreseeing a tariff preference of EUR 300/tonne in favour of the ACP countries in the framework of the third contingent. This new systems should enter into force on 1 April 2001, but the Commission has the possibility of postponing it until 1 July at the latest. The text, which also foresees the automatic transition of a solely tariff based system in 2006, will be formally adopted during the next session of the Council.
On request from France, the Council included in the minutes three declarations that engage the Commission to search for solutions to the specific problems of Community producers. The Commission notably undertook to examine the regime of advances, in the context of compensatory aid, to improve the flow of treasury of Community producers. It will also study the support measures to be implemented for the aid to producers to tackle natural disasters, notably high devastating cyclone in the farthest ultra-peripheral regions.
During the traditional final press conference, Commissioner Franz Fischler recalled that the WTO already recognised the validity of the "first come, first served" system and that the United States have themselves proposed it on two occasions. However it underlined that the EU remains open to dialogue over other solutions.
European Commission confirms possibility of returning to formula of historical export references,
if United States agrees with producer countries
The final phase of the statement by Mr Fischler means in short that the EU will be able to renounce applying the "first come first served" system that has just been adopted by the Council, and to introduce an import system based on "historic" exports from its suppliers if the United States agrees with the exporting countries from Central America over the reference period. Though this agreement must occur rapidly, before the new European system comes into force, as for the EU it is crucial to put an end to this dispute that has been overdue, for two reasons: a) proving that Europe respects the WTO rules, b) bring the United States to remove sanctions against European products, which should happen at a time when the new import system comes into force.