Brussels, 09/09/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 5 September, the European Commission gave a positive evaluation to Manila's request of last February for the Philippines to be granted tariff preferences under the Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP+) - a special incentive scheme for sustainable development and good governance. The Commission believed that Manila fulfils the eligibility criteria (the implementation of international conventions on human rights and labour rights, on sustainable development and good governance) and recommended that the Philippines be granted tariff preferences as soon as possible. The Commission's proposal must now be submitted for the formal approval of the member states and European Parliament, but it is difficult to assess how fast the new parliament will be able to focus on this issue. The authorities in the Philippines hope that the country will be able to benefit from duty-free arrangements as of January 2015.
This move to GSP+, which will lead to the removal of EU import duty on products from the Philippines (including clothing and textiles), is widely supported by European distributors who are supplied by the Philippines, including the sports industry. The Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry (FESI) called, on Tuesday 9 September, for swift approval to the Philippines being granted GSP+. “For the sporting goods industry, this development opens up attractive quality sourcing opportunities. As such decisions have to be made well in advance, it is crucial that the European Parliament and member states now swiftly approve GSP+ for the Philippines to provide much needed clarity to our industry”, FESI stated in a press release. (EH)