§ Mr. BaldryTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the progress of EU negotiations on banana imports. [47983]
§ Mr. RookerThe European Union Agriculture Council in Luxembourg on 22–26 June agreed changes to the EU bananas regime to bring it into conformity with World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules whilst ensuring continued access to the EU market for African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) bananas. This was one of the UK's Presidency priorities and the deal we secured honours both our commitments under the Lomé Convention and our obligations to the WTO; a declaration agreed by the Council recognises this.
Access for traditional ACP banana producers will be 857,700 tonnes at zero tariff, significantly above the current level of ACP sendings. The ACP countries have separately agreed to work together to ensure that the interests of the more vulnerable suppliers are not put at risk as a result of the loss of individual ACP quotas. Commonwealth Caribbean suppliers should now be able to export to the EU all the marketable bananas they can produce.
The operation of the revised import arrangements will be reviewed in 2004 but no date has been set for their termination. This should help to provide a reasonable period for the ACP suppliers to restructure their industries and improve their competitivity. Discussion on a new aid framework for the traditional suppliers are continuing.