Introduction / T. Josling and T. Taylor -- Overview of the world banana market / M. Paggi and T. Spreen -- European interests in the banana market / S. Tangermann -- The European common banana policy / S. Tangermann -- Evolution of the banana multinationals / T. Taylor -- Banana trade in Latin America / E.R. Brenes and K. Madrigal -- The Caribbean and the banana trade / R. Anderson, T. Taylor and T. Josling -- US interests in the banana trade controversy / J.G. Stovall and D.E. Hathaway -- Bananas and the WTO : testing the new dispute settlement process / T. Josling -- Conclusion / T. Josling and T. Taylor
Summary
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 issues surrounding the dispute, in particular: the dependence of small Caribbean economies on European banana markets; the role of the private sector in influencing public policy; the relation between banana trade and the political tensions of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy; the domestic political influence of banana companies in the USA; and the role of the WTO and its settlement of trade disputes. The book has 10 chapters and a subject index
