The National Chamber of Exports (NCE) of Sri Lanka has expressed great satisfaction on successful attempt of Sri Lankan Government in regaining the Generalized System of Preferences facility, which will undoubtedly boost the stagnating trend of Sri Lankan exports; be it apparel, textile, etc., to facilitate accelerated economic development through the achievement of ambitious national export targets.
The European Commission, which is the executive body of the European Union, last week proposed to restore the special concessions for imports from Sri Lanka under the GSP+ facility in exchange for the improved human rights and labour records of the country, subject to ratification by the European Parliament, which will be accompanied by a rigorous monitoring of human rights, good governance, labour conditions, protection of the environment, and rule of law, in conformity with the concerned 27 international conventions.
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“The chamber on its part will conduct awareness creating training programmes for Sri Lankan exporters, and especially for its member companies, to have a clear understanding of the regulations and procedures, as well as product quality requirements of the EU countries to effectively compete in the EU market, using the advantage of the concessions that will become available,” NCE said.
Currently there are eight GSP+ beneficiaries among developing countries. In this context the NCE noted that Sri Lanka will have a particular advantage over competitor countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Philippines in terms of exports, especially in textiles and garments sector.
