In April 2001, the EU and the USA announced the end of a trade dispute over the sale of bananas into the EU market. The EU's allocation of import licences had been found to violate World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and to discriminate against suppliers from Latin America. This book examines the...

A brief introduction to the trade dispute over the sale of bananas into the European Union (EU) market which arose from the complex licensing system developed by the EU to regulate banana imports in the 'Single Market' in 1993 and ended in April 2001 is provided. Five aspects related to the banana...

This chapter gives a brief description of main characteristics of the world market for bananas. The following topics are covered: the production, consumption and trade of bananas; the structure of the banana industry; and the differences in production costs of bananas among countries.

This chapter provides a discussion of the role of private firms in the world market for bananas, tracing this role from the 19th Century development of the US market for bananas from Latin America by American firms, to the introduction of this commodity by European firms in the British Caribbean as ...

This chapter discusses the system of banana production and marketing in Central America, and the relationship between firms and governments in the region. That these countries have diverse objectives when it comes to the regulation of the banana trade is illustrated by their different actions in...

This chapter traces the introduction of bananas into the Caribbean, the benefits of bananas as a small-farmer cash crop, the growth of banana handling firms and the role of unions. The significance of bananas in production and exports in the Islands is explored along with the benefits from the...

This chapter addresses the banana trade dispute from the perspective of the European Union (EU) policy debate. The early compromise for bananas in the European Council is discussed, along with the issue of access for French overseas bananas and the derogation of German imports. The enlargement of...

This chapter discusses the European Union single market scheme for bananas along with proposals for quota consolidation and the negotiation of the Banana Framework Agreement. The chapter begins with an overview of the history of the banana trade in the Windward Islands in the Caribbean and the...

The economic and political interests of the USA in the banana industry are explored. The chapter discusses the filing of a Section 301 case that influenced the US decision to join other plaintiffs in the World Trade Organization (WTO) banana trade complaint, as well as the impact of Congressional...

The issue of the World Trade Organization banana case is examined in detail. The examination includes the historical position of the General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade on preferential systems for developing countries, the question of the allocation of quotas in a non-discriminatory trade...