A European Union (EU) delegation in Sri Lanka aims to assess the possibility of withdrawing GSP + trade concessions granted to the island nation on allegations of human rights violations. As per an Economy Next report, the five-member EU delegation arrived in Sri Lanka to meet officials including President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and all key stakeholders to assess the progress of Sri Lanka’s pledges to comply with 27 international conventions in return for the Generalized Scheme of Preference Plus (GSP+) trade concession.

The European parliament had adopted a resolution to consider withdrawing the over $500 million worth trade concession in June. The European parliament’s key demand was for Sri Lanka to repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), arguing the legislation has been systematically used for arbitrary arrests and detention of Muslims and minority groups in Sri Lanka.

International rights groups have asked the EU to demand Sri Lanka to comply with its obligations to continue the trade concession. The EU is the second largest export destination for Sri Lankan products, and GSP+ has helped the country’s exporters to consolidate their position.

Around 7,000 Sri Lankan export items are covered under GSP+, of which around 60 per cent include apparel, 11 per cent include rubber products, 9 per cent are gems and jewellery, 3 per cent agriculture and around 17 per cent other products, including wood products, toys and tableware.