International Federation
for Human Rights

May 2017. By providing preferential access to the European Union (EU)’s market, the EU’s GSP (Generalized System of Preferences) scheme aims to assist developing countries in their efforts to reduce poverty and to promote good governance and sustainable development. The scheme consists of a general arrangement and two special arrangements, the GSP+ and the EBA (Everything But Arms). Under the GSP+ arrangement, third countries may benefit from EU preferential tariffs if they have ratified core human rights conventions and if they commit to ensure the effective implementation of these instruments, which includes accepting the reporting requirements imposed by each convention.

In this document, FIDH and its member leagues from Cambodia, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Philippines
and Pakistan present comments on the EBA and the GSP+, and provide information on country-specific cases.