The International Trade Committee in the European Parliament approved two safeguard measures to preserve the interests of vulnerable EU banana producers in forthcoming EU trade deals with Central America and Peru and Columbia. In particular, the two measures seek to establish a general safety-net for all EU producers to help them adapt to liberalisation of trade.

MEPs approved two measures to safeguard the interests of vulnerable EU banana producers in forthcoming EU trade deals with Central America and Peru and Columbia at the International Trade Committee in the European Parliament. The European Commission will be allowed, upon the new measures, to suspend the preferential customs duty for up to three months if banana imports exceed certain trigger volumes. The EU and Central America concluded the initial Association Agreement in March 2011.

The measures establish a general safety-net for all EU producers to help them adapt to liberalisation of trade foreseen by the largely trade-focused Association Agreement with Central America and the trade agreement with Peru and Colombia. These safeguards, which still have to be endorsed by Parliament as a whole, would allow the EU to increase customs duties, or refuse to reduce them, in the event of a surge in EU imports large enough to harm the interests of EU producers.

In addition, MEPs added specific provisions for monitoring the implementation of both deals, so as to keep an eye on progress in addressing human, social, labour and environmental rights challenges in these countries and to provide a channel for civil society to express concerns. They stress the need to ensure that the partners' trade and sustainable development commitments are not neglected in practice.