Brussels, 19/07/2013 (Agence Europe) - Suspended from the “Everything but Arms” initiative since 1997 because of its dictatorial regime, Burma/Myanmar is to benefit once again from preferential access to the European market.
On Friday 19 July, the Commission announced the reopening of the European market to exports from Burma, to reward the efforts made by that country to improve its political, social and work environment. The EU is to bring the country back under the “Everything but Arms” preferential trade regime, which allows the least developed countries to be granted duty-free and quota-free access to the European market for all products except for arms and ammunitions.
This decision is to be applied retroactively for Burma as of 13 June 2012, the day when the International Labour Organisation (ILO) conference first recognised progress in the labour rights situation in Myanmar/Burma.
The EU had suspended the granting of trade preferences to Burma in 1997 due to the serious and systematic violations of core international conventions on forced labour.
“Trade is fundamental to supporting political stability and the EU's trade preferences mean we will give this reform-minded country priority access to the world's largest market. This has the potential to make a huge difference to the country's economic development and to bring real benefits to the people there. The EU is also going to help Myanmar boost the capacity of both public and private firms to make use of these new opportunities”, Commissioner Karel De Gucht has commented.
The Council and the European Parliament agreed in June this year to lift all sanctions imposed on Burma, except for the embargo on arms, and to restore the trade preferences regime.
Essentially composed of clothing, Burmese exports to the EU amounted to €164 million in 2012, i.e. 3% of the country's total exports and 0.01% of EU imports. (EH/transl.jl)