Brussels, 28/10/2009 (Agence Europe) - On 20 October 2009, the European Commission adopted a decision ending the investigation by DG Trade at the European Commission that began on 31 March 2008 under Regulation 732/2008/EC on the EU's special generalised preferences system (SGP) in order to examine whether El Salvador was properly implementing International Labour Organisation (ILO) Agreement No. 87 on freedom to organise trade unions and the protection of trade union rights. Unlike Sri Lanka (see EUROPE 10003), the outcome of the European Commission's investigation do not justify a temporary removal of El Salvador from the SGP +, because El Salvador's ratification of ILO Agreement 87 is still valid and the country has reformed its constitution to remove serious obstacles to proper implementation of the agreement. El Salvador will therefore continue to benefit from preferential access to the EU market for products under SGP+, a variant of SGP that provides further customs tariff reductions to 15 developing countries that have pledged to sustainable development and good governance, including human rights and labour standards, and which have ratified and implemented 27 international agreements in these domains. (E.H. trans fl)