GSP+

Image: Fishing boats docked at Negambo habour: Fisheries exports was  doubled in the first year since the removal of the fish ban and granting of GSP+  © Sunanda Deshapriya. Following the granting of GSP+, Sri Lanka’s exports to the EU have increased more than 20%, according to the EU. Notable growth sectors of this economic development […]

Joint Press Release following the 22nd session of the European Union – Sri Lanka Joint Commission. Bruxelles, 14/02/2019. The European Union (EU) and Sri Lanka held their 22nd meeting of the Joint Commission on Thursday, 14 February 2019, in Brussels. The meeting was held in an open and constructive spirit. Developments in both the EU […]

By Uditha Jayasinghe Progress on key legislative and policy reforms needed to keep GSP+ were developing well, believes a monitoring delegation of the European Parliament, which yesterday said it remained committed to improving human rights in Sri Lanka. The six-member delegation of the European Parliament Committee on International Trade (INTA) arrived in Sri Lanka on […]

What is GSP +? GSP+ stands for Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus. It is part of the EU’s wider GSP regulation, which also includes the standard GSP and Everything But Arms (EBA). GSP+ allows eligible countries to pay no duties on a wide range of exports to the EU. The countries currently benefiting from GSP+ […]

Image: Airman of Sri lanka Air Force  filming Keppapilavu civilian protest requesting hand over their land occupied by Military, Feb 217. Photo @shalin. In the wake of Sri Lanka government cosponsoring HRC 34 resolution which calls for full implementation of 2015 human rights council resolution on ‘Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka’ […]

Image: Nikos Zaimis in Sri Lanka (Newsfirst photo) Nikos Zaimis, Adviser to the European Commission, Directorate General for Trade in Brussels, Belgium has indirectly confirmed that the GSP + trade concessions will be reinstated to Sri Lanka in few months time. He has said  that “The restoration of the GSP+ trade concession by the European […]

Image: More than 100 garment factories had to closed down and thousands of women workers lost their jobs because of the suspension on GSP + concession. A group of International NGOs and individuals have called on the European Parliament to reject the EU Commission’s proposal to restore the GSP+ trade preference status to Sri Lanka. […]

The European Union issuing a press statement has  reiterated that the ratification and implementation of 27 international conventions signed by a succession of Sri Lankan governments, are the only criteria on which the Government of Sri Lanka’s application to rejoin the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) is assessed. These conventions relate to international human […]

The Government wants to rush a five-year National Human Rights Action Plan (NHAP) next week as part of its initiatives to get the European Union to restore the GSP Plus tariff preferences to Sri Lanka. The 300-page report, which meets most of the conditions laid down by the EU, will come up for discussion at […]

The European Commission today proposed that a significant part of the remaining import duties on Sri Lankan products should be removed by the European Union in exchange for the country’s commitment to ratify and effectively implement 27 international conventions on human rights, labour conditions, protection of the environment and good governance. These one-way trade preferences […]

Image: Will their prayers be answered by the authorities? Shivarathri celebrations at a Shivam temple in Colombo (c) Dinuka Liyanawatte. Gehan Gunatilleke. What’s your general take on the performance of the coalition government? We in Sri Lanka tend to understand this government purely as a coalition of political parties. But I think this is also […]

CCC to discuss Sri Lanka’s eligibility for Norway’s GSP+  Since January 1st this year Sri Lanka has become eligible to the new Generalized System of Preference plus (GSP+) facility introduced by the Government of Norway and the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) has invited members to learn more about the facility.The CCC will hold a […]

Int.Inves.Logo The problem with being emotional and political about an argument is that one misses some important cues that in hindsight can cause disruptive change. The current discussion on the hard hit local manufacturing sector is a case in point. In their eagernss to find an excuse for their falling fortunes, management, especially in the […]

The government is to re-apply for the EU GSP Plus trade concession that was withdrawn from the country in August 2010 for the non-compliance of the conditions connected to the facility, The Sunday Leader learns.Despite government claims in 2010 that the loss of the GSP Plus facility would not have a severe impact on the […]

 ■Factories shifting to Bangladesh – TUThe loss of the GSP Plus facility that was granted by the EU to Sri Lanka is continuing to result in the closure of factories in the country resulting in thousands of employees jobless.  It is learnt that two such factories had closed down on January 2nd since they are […]

Sri Lanka’s earnings from apparel exports has seen an over 4 per cent decline during the first quarter of the current year, according to Ceylon Chamber of Commerce data.In 2000, the apparel exports accounted for 49 per cent of the island’s total exports and by 2011 the share dropped to 38 per cent, data showed.Industry […]