Question

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider that the European Union decision in 2010 to remove trade concessions from Sri Lanka pending the government of that country improving its human rights record has created a precedent for other countries.

In 2010 some trade preferences, known as GSP+, were removed from Sri Lanka by the European Union following investigations and reports which found significant shortcomings in respect of Sri Lanka’s implementation of three human rights conventions. Sri Lanka continues to receive beneficial but less generous trade preferences from the EU under the ‘standard’ GSP scheme.

As was the case for Sri Lanka, any decision for the EU to remove GSP+ preferences from a country is based on the objective criteria and following the process established in the GSP Regulation as agreed by European Member States and the European Parliament.