HC Deb 20 January 1999 vol 323 cc508-9W
Mr. Laurence Robertson

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with(a) European Union ministers about the import duties being placed by the EU on bananas and (b) the United States Government about the retaliatory duties being placed on EU goods; and if he will make a statement. [66259]

Ms Quin

The EU's new banana regime was agreed during the UK Presidency. The Government support the new regime which is designed to help banana dependent Caribbean economies while meeting WTO obligations.

The current EU/US dispute over the WTO compatibility of the new regime was discussed at the December General Affairs Council which my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary attended. EU Foreign Ministers gave their backing to the Commission approach of robustly defending the banana regime while constructively addressing US concerns over the WTO process.

The Government have been working to prevent the imposition of US retaliatory duties. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and other senior Government Ministers have, on several recent occasions, raised the issue with their US counterparts.