Brussels, 25/07/2001 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday, the European Commission decided to launch infringement proceedings against France for having granted an excessive number of banana import licenses to the largest French fresh fruit and vegetable dealer, at a reduced rate of duty. France granted this operator - whose supplies came from the Antilles, Canary Islands, Africa and Latin America - import rights for over 50,000 tonnes of bananas annually, while it was only authorised to grant it 4,300 tonnes. The gap between the reference quantity calculated by the French authorities and the quantity it should have kept to on the basis of the regulation on the Community banana import regime means that an additional quantity of fruit is introduced onto the market "at a time of the year when the Community market is already extremely sensitive to an excessive banana supply", explains the Commission. It plans with this action to avoid tension on the market. In addition, the operation has an adverse effect on the Community budget because of: - additional spending under compensatory aid to be paid to producers that suffer the consequences of a market price fall; - the lack of own resources due to the difference between the reduced duty applicable to imports carried out with import certificates and the unlevied full duty on the surplus quantity. Also, the French behaviour may also be detrimental to the arrangements (reform of Community regime) which allowed a conflict with certain trade partners to be resolved".