Latin American banana producers are reported to be unimpressed with the European Unions plans to levy €179 a tonne on their banana imports.
Panama’s ambassador to the World Trade Organisation has described the deal as unacceptable.
The EU put the proposal forward last week as its latest offer in the long running dispute.
The WTO has already rejected two previous offers, the most recent being €187 a tonne, down from €230 a tonne, stating they were unfair to the Latin American producers.
Norman Harris, Panama’s ambassador told Bloomberg: “…this proposal will not settle the dispute. [The tariff] would have a devastating impact on developing countries.”
The EU proposal is also not popular with the African, Caribbean and Pacific producers either, who said that any proposal under €200 euros is a disappointment.
However, the €179 proposal has not gained full support within Europe itself, according to Costa Rican producers.
Corbana, the country’s national banana body, said the tariff does not have the full support of all EU members.
Corbana’s director of legal issues, Mariano Jiménez, said that Germany was likely to vote against the rate, with other countries, including Sweden, Poland and Denmark likely to join it.
