§ Mr. MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the terms of the settlement reached between the European Community and the United States of America concerning the importation of bananas from associated states of the Community and non-associated producers of bananas, together with the consequential effects on traditional imports from current and former members of the Commonwealth, and the consequent financial and social effects. [158816]
§ Ms QuinI have been asked to reply.
We have placed in the Library of the House copies of the "Understanding on Bananas", which sets out the basis of the agreement between the European Commission and the United States of America.
The new regime will enable Commonwealth banana-exporting countries in the Caribbean which have traditionally supplied the UK market to continue to do so. The precise quantities of bananas imported will depend on commercial decisions by banana traders. However, to the extent that contractions in the Caribbean banana sector which have been seen in recent years continue, it will remain essential that, in these countries, Community funds are used for viable development activities such as restructuring, diversification and safety net schemes to help cope with ongoing changes in the banana sector.