Special system of assistance to traditional ACP suppliers of bananas: continuation

The rapporteur, Mr Castagnède (ARE, F), summed up the problems being experienced by traditional ACP banana producers since EU enlargement increased the quota of free imports from certain third countries in Central America, whose products were marketed by American multinationals; this in turn had produced a market surplus and had caused prices to collapse. He therefore called for the special arrangements for technical and financial assistance to the countries affected to be extended until the end of the year. Commissioner Wulf-Mathies agreed that the regulation on financial aid should be extended as a matter of some urgency and at the same time rejected those amendments that could delay the implementation of the scheme for the provision of assistance to the ACP countries concerned.