Bangladesh’s Ministry of Commerce recently wrote to the EC or the European Commission to remove a particular provision from its GSP Plus system so as to help Bangladesh’s apparel and textile products address the safeguard measures, which are likely to be imposed by the European Union.

Media reports maintained this adding the Ministry of Commerce wrote a letter to the EC recently underlining the proposed safeguard measures would severely affect the exports of the products like home textile, knitwear and woven items even as when the combined share of these products from a particular country, which the EU defines as ‘product group S-11b’, reportedly, exceeds 6.0 per cent EU’s total imports of the same products, safeguard measures would be triggered to remove duty-free market of these products, which is as per the provision of the new rule even if reports maintain Bangladesh’s share in total EU imports of these items is more than 13 per cent already.

These products are, however, currently enjoying duty-free access to the EU market under the everything but arms (EBA) initiative.

…we recently requested the European Commission to withdraw this 6.0 per cent threshold, reportedly, maintained Additional Secretary of Commerce Md. Hafizur Rahman while adding Bangladesh would be most affected by this provision.