The Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States

(ACP House, 5 december 2005)

ACP Ministerial Consultations on Bananas were held at ACP House in Brussels, on 5 December 2005 essentially to examine the 27 October 2005 decision by WTO arbitrators in the proceedings initiated in April 2005 by 9 Latin American countries, and the impact of this decision, particularly in the light of the EU's new banana import regime. 

The Ministers discussed the report presented by the Working Group on Bananas, in particular the outcome of the WTO arbitration process, new market access conditions imposed by the EU, and the performance of the financial and technical assistance programme.

The European Commission was invited to hold discussions in order to specify the content of the new regime which proposes a 176 euro MFN[1] tariff and maintains the 775,000 tonne zero tariff quota for ACP countries. The ACP countries are mainly concerned with the management of the quota allocated to them. They feel that the European Union should consult them, and ensure that the system duly enhances the export potential of the ACP countries, and safeguards the socio-economic and financial benefits that traditional banana-exporting countries currently enjoy.

In an attempt to protect the current import regime from future attacks at the WTO level, the Ministers reiterated their appeal to the European Union to designate Bananas as a sensitive product in the WTO negotiations so as to protect the interests of the ACP exporters.

The Ministers also received information from the Commission on the ccreation of a new decentralised organisation which was expected to enhance the performance of the Special Assistance Framework set up for the ACP banana-exporting countries. They reacted by asking the EU to intensify its efforts to ensure the effective implementation of the Special Assistance Framework for the benefit of the ACP banana sector, to make it more competitive in view of the proposed liberalisation.

Members of the Working Group on Bananas

Belize. Cameroon, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Eritrea, Ghana, Grenada, Jamaica, Kenya, Madagascar, St. Lucia, Suriname, Tanzania.