1. Process: 1. Consultations requested: February 5, 1996 2. Panel requested: April 11, 1996 3. Panel established: May 8, 1996 4. Panel composed: June 7, 1996 5. Panel report circulated: May 22, 1997 6. Appellate Body report circulated: September 9, 1997 7. Mutually agreed solution notified: November 8, 2012
2. Recomendation: The Panel concludes that the EC import regime for bananas are inconsistent with its obligations of GATT and the Licensing Agreement.
3. Mutual Agreement: The European Union and the Governments of Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and Venezuela notify that they have reached a mutually agreed solution with respect to the disputes on the terms set out in the attached Geneva Agreement on Trade in Bananas. Having regard to that Agreement, and to the Certification of the EU tariff line on bananas on 27 October 2012.
4. Background: The EC members replaced the various national banana import regimes previously implemented. They established a new licensing system that gave a preferential treatmentt to companies with previous comercial relations with the EC's members.
5. Main Issue: The new licensing system was too complex and it created highly unfavorable conditions for competition compared to the previous regime. Basically, it impossed a 30% less tariff con companies of "category B".
