Thursday

28th Sep 2023

Ecuador to fight EU banana regime at the WTO

Ecuador, the world's biggest banana producer, has filed a request to the World Trade Organization to arbitrate a looming banana war with the European Union.

"Today I signed a letter to the chairman of the WTO General Council requesting arbitration," said Ecuador's ambassador to the WTO Herman Escudero, according to media reports.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

  • The EU intends to triple banana tariffs from 2006 (Photo: Banana Link)

The move comes after the European Commission in January formally notified the World Trade Organisation (WTO) that it intends to triple banana tariffs from 2006.

Under the new regime, Latin American countries would no longer be limited by quotas but would pay higher duties, 230 euro a tonne, from January 2006 - currently it is 75 euro a tonne.

African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries could however continue to export bananas to the EU market under more favourable terms.

Presidents and high officials from seven Latin American countries, Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and Nicaragua, already met in January in the Ecuadorian capital, Quito, and signed a declaration rejecting the EU proposal.

The new EU regime is designed to help producers in former European colonies in the ACP countries to compete with larger growers in Latin America, many of which are controlled by US-based multinational companies.

The WTO arbitrator must be appointed within 30 days and will then have 90 days to make a decision, according to the Doha accord.

IEA says: Go green now, save €11 trillion later

The International Energy Agency finds that the clean energy investment needed to stay below 1.5 degrees Celsius warming saves $12 trillion [€11.3 trillion] in fuel expenditure — and creates double the amount of jobs lost in fossil fuel-related industries.

Opinion

How do you make embarrassing EU documents 'disappear'?

The EU Commission's new magic formula for avoiding scrutiny is simple. You declare the documents in question to be "short-lived correspondence for a preliminary exchange of views" and thus exempt them from being logged in the official inventory.

Latest News

  1. Germany tightens police checks on Czech and Polish border
  2. EU Ombudsman warns of 'new normal' of crisis decision-making
  3. How do you make embarrassing EU documents 'disappear'?
  4. Resurgent Fico hopes for Slovak comeback at Saturday's election
  5. EU and US urge Azerbijan to allow aid access to Armenians
  6. EU warns of Russian 'mass manipulation' as elections loom
  7. Blocking minority of EU states risks derailing asylum overhaul
  8. Will Poles vote for the end of democracy?

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. International Medical Devices Regulators Forum (IMDRF)Join regulators, industry & healthcare experts at the 24th IMDRF session, September 25-26, Berlin. Register by 20 Sept to join in person or online.
  2. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  3. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA
  4. International Medical Devices Regulators Forum (IMDRF)Join regulators & industry experts at the 24th IMDRF session- Berlin September 25-26. Register early for discounted hotel rates
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersGlobal interest in the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations – here are the speakers for the launch
  6. Nordic Council of Ministers20 June: Launch of the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us