Ecuador to ‘resume’ banana talks
According to reports in Ecuador, the country is ready to re-enter talks with the EU over the reduction of the latter’s banana tariff
Ecuador is reportedly set to resume negotiations with the European Union this September over a reduction in Europe’s banana import tariff for Latin American products, after pulling out of the previous talks in July.
Although no agreement was reached during the recent talks between the two sides in Geneva, negotiators from the Latin American countries, headed by Ecuador, hope to achieve a concrete accord for the reduction of Europe’s banana import tariff next month.
Officials from Ecuador are said to still be hopeful that they will finally reach an agreement with the EU to lower the tariff from its current level of €176 (US$248) per tonne to €114 (US$162) per tonne, according to Ecuadorian daily El Universo.
If true, the report suggests that the Andean nation is willing to return to the negotiating table with the EU after suspending cross-party talks, which also included Colombia and Peru, in July, blaming a lack of response from the European side.
The principal area of disagreement between the two sides to date has been the timescale for the reduction of the import tariff, with the Latin American countries said to favour eight years, while the EU is demanding an 11 year period.
The EU’s current banana import regime imposes a tax of €176 per tonne on bananas from Latin American countries, while exempting products from African, Caribbean and Pacific producers, such as Martinique and Guadaloupe.
