§ Mr. MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to her answer of 21 January 1998,Official Report, column 563, relating to her discussions with Commissioner Pinheiro concerning the marketing of bananas, (a) which rule of the World Trade Organisation prevents the continuation of the previous Lome arrangements for this market, (b) when and by which body that rule was agreed, (c) who represented the United Kingdom and interested Commonwealth Caribbean States, (d) who represented the United Kingdom and interested Commonwealth Caribbean States on the occasion when the World Trade Organisation appeal was decided and (e) what was the time and place of that appeal hearing. [27021]
§ Mr. FoulkesThe Appellate Body of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) found that a number of the provisions of the EU regime were incompatible with the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and of the General Agreement on Services (GATS). The reports of the Dispute Settlement Panel and Appellate Body of the WTO on the EU's arrangements for banana imports are lodged in the House of Commons Library. The two aforementioned Agreements were signed by all Contracting Parties to the Marrakech Agreement establishing the WTO in April 1994.
As in all WTO cases where the EU's arrangements are challenged, the European Commission acted in defence of EU interests. The Commission represented the EU both in the Panel proceedings and in the subsequent appeal to the WTO Appellate Body; the hearings were attended by UK officials. The Commonwealth Caribbean States were represented by the Ambassadors to the WTO of Jamaica and the Eastern Caribbean and their lawyers. The hearing before the Appellate Body was held in Geneva on 21–23 July 1997.