EU gives developing countries duty-free access with GSP+

On the 9 December 2008, the European Commission decided to give 16 developing countries duty-free access to the EU market for around 6400 tariff lines, under the European Union's special incentive arrangement for sustainable development and good governance. The preferences, called GSP+, are in addition to the standard Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) extended to developing countries.

The GSP+ beneficiaries from 1 January 2009 until the end of 2011 would be: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Georgia, Guatemala, Honduras, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Sri Lanka and Venezuela. The eligibility of two of the countries, El Salvador and Sri Lanka, is currently the subject of an investigation by the European Commission into the implementation of certain UN and ILO conventions.

• Primary Source

European Commission: MEMO/08/777: The EC Special Incentive Arrangement for Sustainable Development and Good Governance (GSP+) 2009-2011 http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/08/777&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

ESO:Background information: Human rights in EU trade policy: Unilateral measures http://www.europeansources.info/record/human-rights-in-eu-trade-policy-unilateral-measures/

ESO:Background information: External relations: Development policy http://www.europeansources.info/record/external-relations-development-policy/

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