EU banana barriers suffer new WTO setback: source

AFP, November, 2007

GENEVA (AFP) — The World Trade Organisation has found in favour of Ecuador in its dispute with the European Union over the bloc's banana import barriers, a diplomatic source said here Thursday.

A preliminary report from the WTO delivered confidentially to the parties earlier this week found that the EU importing scheme was inconsistent with global trade rules, the source said.

The setback for the European Union is the second time in six years that the WTO has found against its banana imports regime after a ruling against a previous system in 2001.

Ecuador lodged a complaint in November 2006 challenging new rules implemented January 1, 2006, that imposed custom duties of 176 euros (260 dollars) per tonne on bananas from countries outside the so-called Africa-Caribbean-Pacific (ACP) group.

The United States, home to three of the five biggest multinational banana producers in the world, has also ...