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Sri Lanka Replies To EU's GSP Plus Report,
by Mary Swire, Tax-News.com, Hong Kong
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
On November 6, the Sri Lankan government sent its reply to the European Commission
(EC) regarding its report of October 19 on the continuation of Sri Lanka’s
GSP+ import tariff concessions.
The primary objective of the EU’s Generalized System of Preferences (GSP)
is to contribute to the promotion of sustainable development and good governance.
The additional preferences available under the GSP+ arrangement act as an incentive
to vulnerable developing countries to implement a set of key international conventions
in the fields of human rights, core labor standards, sustainable development,
and good governance.
The GSP+ tariff preferences – which take the form of duty-free access
– cover roughly 6,400 tariff lines. Sri Lanka’s GSP+ preferences
were renewed, late in 2008, for a further three-year period from January 1,
2009 to December 31, 2011.
However, there has been continuing concern about the situation in Sri Lanka
since the latest internal conflict. After a period of investigation, the EC
has now produced a final report "on the findings of the investigation with
respect to the effective implementation of certain human rights conventions
in Sri Lanka."
As that report’s conclusion was negative for Sri Lanka, it had been reported
that the EC would decide shortly on whether the country should, in fact, be
withdrawn from the special incentive scheme.
In response, the Sri Lankan government has produced its own document containing
observations on the EC’s report. Amongst other things, it reinforces the
importance to Sri Lanka of the GSP+ preferences.
The GSP+ tariff benefits, it said, resulted in Sri Lankan exports to the EU
increasing by 42% in the period since 2004, to over EUR2bn (USD3bn) in 2008,
thereby accounting for 36% of Sri Lanka’s total exports. Bilateral trade
turnover also expanded, from EUR2.4bn in 2004 to EUR3.3bn in 2008.
Particular assistance is provided to the clothing industry, which accounts
for 53% of Sri Lanka’s total exports to the EU. Other sectors, such as
fish products, ceramic products, rubber and rubber-based products and jewellery,
also increased their exports to the EU under GSP+.
The document also noted that the clothing sector provides direct employment
for more than 270,000 people, as well as through the indirect employment of at
least a million people. In addition, it accounts for around 8% of GDP.
“The continuation of the GSP+ Scheme,” the document concludes,
“would without doubt bring further benefit to the people of Sri Lanka
and strengthen the efforts of the government to meet the challenge of the Millennium
Development Goals. By contrast, any withdrawal of the GSP+ Scheme from Sri Lanka
will lead to disruption and loss of market share. [It] would significantly affect
both Sri Lanka’s trade and development, as well as the pace of her post-conflict
recovery.”
It has been reported that the EC is likely to make its recommendation to the
EU member states and a decision taken by the end of this year.
.
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