The politics of international primary commodity trade, like banana, plays a significant role in international politics. Banana production occurs in about sixty nations, but less than fifteen of those produce bananas for the global market. The primary banana exporters are Latin American countries and African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of countries. Banana imports are primarily from European nations. The World Trade Organisation (hereafter WTO) has recorded nine cases pertaining to bananas and their trade since its establishment. The whole debate on the banana at this forum has centred around the European Union (EU), while the producing countries played a marginal role. The European Union’s creation of ‘banana wars’ during the twentieth century highlights the disparate and frequent conflict of interests among national corporations, states, multinational corporations, and regional trading blocs. Thus, in the international trading system that was established after World War II, the disagreement over banana trade has persisted the longest. Therefore, the chapter attempts to address questions like why and how the EU has engaged and regulated the international banana trade, what has been its response to the various cases at the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body (DSB), and what is the politics behind these developments. The chapter is based on mixed methods besides referring to various reports and primary sources of EU and WTO’s DSB apart from secondary sources.

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European Union and Primary Commodity Trade: The Saga of International Banana Trade

  • Hirok Jyoti Ray

摘要

The politics of international primary commodity trade, like banana, plays a significant role in international politics. Banana production occurs in about sixty nations, but less than fifteen of those produce bananas for the global market. The primary banana exporters are Latin American countries and African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of countries. Banana imports are primarily from European nations. The World Trade Organisation (hereafter WTO) has recorded nine cases pertaining to bananas and their trade since its establishment. The whole debate on the banana at this forum has centred around the European Union (EU), while the producing countries played a marginal role. The European Union’s creation of ‘banana wars’ during the twentieth century highlights the disparate and frequent conflict of interests among national corporations, states, multinational corporations, and regional trading blocs. Thus, in the international trading system that was established after World War II, the disagreement over banana trade has persisted the longest. Therefore, the chapter attempts to address questions like why and how the EU has engaged and regulated the international banana trade, what has been its response to the various cases at the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body (DSB), and what is the politics behind these developments. The chapter is based on mixed methods besides referring to various reports and primary sources of EU and WTO’s DSB apart from secondary sources.