SME Chamber President meets MDB Officials
22 April 2024
Malta Chamber of SMEs President Mr Paul Abela met MDB Chairman Leo Brincat and CEO...
Fine-tuning of Generalised System of Preferences
15 June 2013
The EU has made recent progress in fine-tuning its
Generalised System of Preferences (GSP), an incentive scheme lowering tariff to
encourage more imports from poorer developing countries. Whilst EuroCommerce
has been informed that recent accidents in Bangladesh will not endanger their
preferential status in 2013, this may change in 2014 should the country fail to
demonstrate sufficient progress in protecting its workers.
Decisions will be
made at an upcoming international labour conference as to the medium-term
preferential status of countries under attack for alleged serious violations of
labour obligations (Uzbekistan, Honduras, Guatemala, Kenya, and Zimbabwe).
Other news on the GSP is that several countries may lose their GSP status from
2015, now being ranked as high- and middle-income countries (China, Thailand,
Ecuador and the Maldives). Good news, however, for all members importing from
Bolivia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Armenia, Georgia, Mongolia, Cape Verde,
Pakistan and Peru – these countries are set to be approved by the Commission
for GSP plus preferences (particularly low EU import tariffs rewarding
sustainable development).
made at an upcoming international labour conference as to the medium-term
preferential status of countries under attack for alleged serious violations of
labour obligations (Uzbekistan, Honduras, Guatemala, Kenya, and Zimbabwe).
Other news on the GSP is that several countries may lose their GSP status from
2015, now being ranked as high- and middle-income countries (China, Thailand,
Ecuador and the Maldives). Good news, however, for all members importing from
Bolivia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Armenia, Georgia, Mongolia, Cape Verde,
Pakistan and Peru – these countries are set to be approved by the Commission
for GSP plus preferences (particularly low EU import tariffs rewarding
sustainable development).
