Ambassador Daly optimistic :

GSP plus on the right track

By Manjula Fernando

The European Union (EU) and Sri Lanka are on the verge of concluding discussions on the application process to renew the GSP plus trade concessions. It is learnt that Sri Lanka may present the formal application to the European Commission within weeks.

Although the Government and the EU are yet to make a formal announcement, the EU Ambassador and Head of Delegation in Colombo, David Daly said, the two countries are on an advanced stage of dialogue on the GSP plus renewal issue.

Declining to commit on a time-frame he said, “I cannot say if the time is right for Sri Lanka to make the application. But definitely, the direction (Sri Lanka is moving) is the right one. The preparatory work is going on well and is at an advanced stage,” he told a media briefing late last week.

Daly was speaking after launching EU’s human rights initiatives for Sri Lanka for 2016, as part of the global #EU4Human Rights initiative, at Hotel Taj Samudra on Thursday. The event was presided over by Minister for National Dialogue Mano Ganeshan.

The Ambassador rejected reports that the EU has put forth 58 conditions to renew GSP+ and was demanding the government to repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).

He said it was Sri Lanka which has committed itself in Geneva to replace the PTA with new laws to combat future threats of terrorism.

“There seems to be some misunderstanding here,” he said, trying to speak with difficulty, due to a loose tooth.

Fifty-eight points

“There are around 58 points that we are discussing, but not in the context of GSP plus. Some things are important for GSP plus but others are not,” he emphasised.

When news broke out that the EU was pressing for compliance with 58 points to restore the GSP plus facility, it raised many eyebrows, while critics said the Mahinda Rajapaksa government had less commitments tagged on the trade facility. The former Foreign Minister, Prof GL Peiris said the so-called good governance government, with its western oriented foreign policy had failed to impress the European block.

Further improvement

The EU Ambassador said some of the 58 points under discussion were part of the ‘wider dialogue of human rights and good governance ‘ between Sri Lanka and the EU. Clarifying further, he said, Respect for Human Rights and democracy are the core values of the EU and it stood to promote these values all around the world.

“The mechanism of GSP plus is to encourage countries, but not a reward for having created a perfect country where every single human right is fully protected. “

He said what they expect to see in this process is that the country has reached a satisfactory level of compliance, that it has created a momentum towards further improvement and it makes commitments for further improvement.

This is the basis on which the EU will grant GSP plus. But when it is granted, there is also a process of constant monitoring, that those further improvements that had been made are translated into reality, over time.

Even as of last week discussions were taking place at different levels in Brussels and in Colombo, to expedite the application process.

The EU-Sri Lanka Working Group on Trade and Economic Cooperation met on May 11, 2016 in Brussels. It also discussed Sri Lanka’s intention in applying for GSP+ status under the European Union’s GSP Regulation. After the Brussels meeting, an official statement said the Working Group has taken positive note of the fact that Sri Lanka had made significant progress in addressing outstanding issues in launching an application.

Officials from the EU have recognised the progress the country has achieved, especially, in the rule of law, democracy, governance and the overall situation pertaining to human and labour rights and environmental protection.

The working group from Sri Lanka was headed by Director General of Commerce Sonali Wijeratne, while the EU delegation was headed by Head of Unit, European Commission Directorate General for Trade for the EU, Peter Berz.