Cambodia : EU to review EBA status says VP Mogherini on behalf of the Commission

The statement published in answer to a parliamentary question is a strong response to the ongoing crackdown on both civil society and political opposition and stresses that « the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms is part of the EU’s trade policy and underpins the legal basis of our trade preferences. The Commission services, in cooperation with the European External Action Service, are monitoring the situation in Cambodia to ensure that the conditions under the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) Regulation 978/2012 are fulfilled. A dedicated GSP monitoring mission is foreseen in 2018. » Cambodia currently benefits from the most favourable regime available under the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) since the EBA scheme gives duty free access to the EU for exports of all products, except arms and ammunition.

FIDH and its member organisations in Cambodia have systematically and comprehensively advocated for the use of EBA leverage to sanction grave and systematic human rights violations in Cambodia. On the occasion of the EU-Cambodia human rights dialogue of March 13, FIDH released a briefing paper namely calling for a specific EU investigation into EBA trade preferences until repressive legislation and amendments are repealed and rule of law and democracy are restored and guaranteed in line with international standards.

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