The European Commission is keen to reach an accord with all parties concerned in the long-running banana trade war after Ecuador rejected a European Union-US plan to bring to an end the eight-year old conflict.
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Ecuador said on Tuesday that a EU/US plan, announced last week, broke global trade rules and the country threatened to bring in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) unless the EU made changes to the agreement.
“We are very much interested in getting a consensus with all parties. We want Ecuador on board,” said European Commission agriculture spokesman Gregor Kreuzhuber.
“There are ongoing talks to explain the deal to them,” he said.
The EU agreed to end the dispute with the US by scrapping plans to introduce a “first come, first served” system of allotting banana import licences from July 1 in favour of one based on past distribution of licences. But Ecuador, the world’s top banana exporter, favours the existing system and has accused the EU and the US of going behind its back in reaching the new agreement.
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By GlobalDataEcuador believes the new proposal will not allow access for new exporters from developing countries to the European market.
Meanwhile, leading Latin American banana exporters may revive a joint trade body to strenghten its access to European markets.
The Union of Banana Exporting Countries (UPEB) compromising of Panama, Honduras, Guatemala, Colombia, Costa Rica, Venezuela and Nicaragua, are seeking greater share of the world banana markets.
