By Xinhua
Washington : The US has requested the World Trade Organisation (WTO) panel to review whether the European Union's (EU) banana import regime breaches the obligations of the international trade body.
"The US request relates to the EU's apparent failure to implement the WTO rulings in a 1996 proceeding initiated by Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and America," said a statement issued Friday by the office of the trade representative here.
That WTO ruling said the EU's regime discriminates against bananas originating in Latin American countries and against distributors of such bananas, including several US companies, the statement pointed out.
"The EU was under an obligation to bring its banana regime into compliance with its WTO obligations by January 1999," it said.
Under WTO rules, the defending party may veto the request of a ruling by a panel of neutral trade experts but it automatically goes ahead up to a month later unless the complaint is withdrawn.