ITS reported in December 2009 that the European Commission had adopted a temporary proposal to suspend the GSP+ trade concession to Sri Lanka and that a decision would be made in two months to decide whether or not to remove GSP+ benefits permanently or not.
After extensive investigations the European Commission has decided that Sri Lanka has not fulfilled its obligations and thus the Council of Europe adopted a Regulation temporarily withdrawing GSP+ benefits with effect from 15 August 2010.
The EC concluded that Sri Lanka has serious shortcomings in the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention against Torture and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Sri Lanka will have the six-month lead-in period to address the problems identified and to convince the EU that it is fulfilling its obligations and thus persuading the Commission and the Council to overturn its decision.
Next Steps
If you import goods from Sri Lanka and are unsure what this may mean for your business please contact us at
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or call us on (01905) 619229.
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