The EU Parliament approved the introduction of several safeguard clauses to prevent serious damages to European banana crops caused by preferential imports from third countries.
The ultimate goal is to ensure that banana production in the European Union, a vital sector in some outermost regions, such as the Canary Islands, "is maintained in the best possible conditions," as explained in the text.
The report contains some amendments from the socialist group that will ensure better protection for Canary banana growers against third countries.
The rules dictate that, whenever banana imports rise above a given threshold, tariff exemptions will be automatically suspended.
In the debate on these safeguarding clauses, the socialist MEP Josefa Andrés stressed on the fact that the amendments seek to ensure maximum protection of European products without contravening international agreements.
Socialist MEPs managed to add an article that will force the European Commission to present an annual report which will pay special attention to the direct and indirect impact of banana imports coming from third countries in the development of employment and work conditions in Europe.
Andrés highlighted the need to protect the outermost regions "because their crops are not diversified and because, in the case of the Canary Islands, more than 10,000 direct jobs and 35,000 indirect jobs could be affected."
The report also offers the chance to European producers, the European Parliament or to any member state to make a request to the European Commission to take pre-emptive surveillance measures if any significant increase in the import of bananas from those countries is detected.
Source: Eldia