The European Association of Banana Producers (APEB) has vowed to continue its fight against any reduction in the EU’s banana tariff regime, describing the recent agreement between Europe and Latin America for a staggered reduction as a “major blow”.
Apeb president Leopoldo Cólogan told Spanish news agency Efe that the initial deal agreed by negotiators in Brussels yesterday (16 December) for a reduction in the tariff from €176 per tonne to €114 was “very bad” for the European banana sector.
Mr Cólogan also described as “curious”, the EU’s decision to assign €200m in compensation to African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, without announcing a similar provision for European producers.
The EU, he argued, had 'recognised' that the agreement would “do damage” to ACP banana exports, but he claimed they had yet to announce any increase in aid to European Community producers.
Mr Cólogan said Apeb would continue to fight to against the deal coming into affect, adding that it was in contact with producers in Madeira, Martinique and Guadaloupe, as well as the Canary Islands, to press their respective governments for support.
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