EU bewaakt arbeidsomstandigheden: tariefvoordelen voor Sri Lanka, boetes voor Wit-Rusland (en)

The European Commission has decided to grant additional benefits to Sri Lanka under the EU's Generalised System of Tariff Preferences (GSP). The Commission has also decided to initiate an investigation into the alleged violation of freedom of association in Belarus as a first step towards the possible temporary withdrawal of GSP to Belarus. EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy said : «These decisions demonstrate the EU's twin-track approach towards using tariff preferences to promote the respect of core labour standards: rewarding those beneficiary countries under the GSP that make particular efforts to implement core labour standards on the ground, and withdrawing GSP benefits in case of serious and persistent violations of labour rights. In the case of Sri Lanka, our investigations have shown that the country is making good progress towards full compliance with the core labour standards as defined by the ILO, even if this situation will have to be carefully monitored. On the other hand, we are deeply concerned about developments in Belarus, hence the decision to initiate an investigation which may eventually result in the withdrawal of GSP benefits, should the serious and systematic violation of basic labour rights be confirmed.»

Additional GSP benefits to Sri Lanka

To foster development, the EU's GSP grants products imported from developing countries a tariff reduction. To promote the respect of international labour standards, the EU grants additional preferences under the GSP's special incentive arrangements for the protection of labour rights, thus doubling the general GSP benefit. These standards are the International Labour Organisation's (ILO) so-called "core labour standards concerning forced labour, freedom of association, discrimination in employment and child labour".

Sri Lanka submitted a request for these incentive arrangements in 2002. The Commission has investigated Sri Lanka's request and decided to grant Sri Lanka the benefit of the arrangements until the end of the current GSP regime (end of 2005).

Investigation into violations of Freedom of Association in Belarus

The benefits under the GSP may also be temporarily withdrawn for a number of reasons, including the serious and systematic violation of the freedom of association as defined in the relevant ILO conventions.

Three trade union confederations - the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and the World Confederation of Labour (WCL) - have submitted information to the Commission on the violation of Freedom of Association in Belarus. The information describes obstacles to registration of free trade unions, limiting of trade union activities and repression of trade union leaders and activists.

The Commission has decided, after consultation with EU Member States, to initiate an investigation. Should the findings of from the investigation substantiate the information on freedom of association violations, the investigation may ultimately result in withdrawal of Belarus' access to the benefits of the GSP scheme.

The withdrawal provisions have earlier been used only once, in 1997 to withdraw access of Myanmar to the GSP scheme because of forced labour practices.

Background

The EU was the first to implement a GSP scheme in 1971. The EU's GSP grants products imported from GSP beneficiary countries either duty-free access or a tariff reduction depending on which of the five GSP arrangements the country enjoys. The EU's GSP is implemented following cycles of ten years. The present cycle began in 1995 and will expire at the end of 2005. In practise, the GSP is implemented through Council Regulations during the ten-year cycle.

178 developing countries are beneficiaries of the EU's GSP regime. In 2002 EU imports benefiting from GSP preferences amounted to € 52 billion.

For more information on the EU's GSP:

http://europa.eu.int/comm/trade/issues/global/gsp/index_en.htm