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EU to Propose Tariff Reduction to Central Americans |
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13 November 2008
The Costa Rican press has reported that Brussels will make a new proposal for reducing the EU banana tariff, following the demise of the 'peace agreement' brokered by WTO Director-general Pascal Lamy in Geneva in late July. It is understood that the offer will be made in the framework of the EU-Central America Association Agreement negotiations currently at their half-way point. If accepted, the proposal would see an initla fall from 176 euros/tonne to 148 euros on 1st January 2009, then a gradual step-by-step reduction to 95 euros over a period of ten years.
According to Costa Rica's La Nacion newspaper today, the proposal would be made formally to Central America on December 17th. At a press conference in Brussels, the ambassadors of ACP exporting nations who have duty-free access - Surinam, Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Cameroon - expressed their alarm at the proposal as such a tariff reduction would 'force them out of the market'.
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