Brussels, 01/08/2005 (Agence Europe) - The verdict of the World Trade Organisation panel, which had been asked to arbitrate on the dispute relating to the Community regime for banana imports, was returned in Geneva on 1 August. According to sources close to the WTO, quoted by Reuters, the Customs tariff of 230 euros per tonne proposed by the EU for South American banana imports as of 2006 "would hinder Latin American access to the European market".
On 1 February, having been called upon to change its regime of quotas into a purely tariff-based regime, the EU notified the WTO of its intentions to triple the Customs tariff applicable to imports of bananas from Latin America, raising it from 75 euros to 230 euros per metric tonne, whilst ACP (Africa/Caribbean/Pacific) producers will continue to enjoy privileged but, in the view of the ACP countries, insufficient, access to the European market (EUROPE 9001).
The presidents of the banana-producing Latin American countries (Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Nicaragua and Honduras) were resolved to form a bloc to protest against the customs duties the EU intended to impose upon them (EUROPE 8992). The WTO panel has thus come down on their side. The EU now has 10 days to submit a new proposal to the WTO.