Brussels, 16/11/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 16 November, the EU's foreign affairs ministers hailed the “the significant advances made” by the government of Sri Lanka since the presidential elections held in January 2015 “to restore democratic governance, initiate a process of national reconciliation and re-engage with the international community and the United Nations (UN) system”.
According to the ministers, who were meeting in Brussels, the EU now has new opportunities to engage with the government of Sri Lanka. The EU and its member states “actively support the new reform-oriented dynamism in Sri Lanka in order to overcome underlying causes of the past conflict” but they say that “continued political leadership will be needed” to ensure that the differences of the past are addressed, while establishing “a lasting foundation for a peaceful future”.
Sri Lanka has been the theatre for 26 years of civil war between the army and the Tamil guerrillas. The EU foreign ministers announced that they would review their assistance programmes to support Sri Lanka's reform objectives, including by ensuring coordination with other donors. They encourage the government of Sri Lanka to take measures quickly to strengthen the trust of the communities. The EU ministers also encourage the government of Sri Lanka to take measures on human rights - including the protection of minorities and human rights campaigners.
Stating that Sri Lanka wanted to apply to benefit from the tariff preferences provided for by the special incentive arrangement for sustainable development and good governance (GSP+), the EU foreign ministers asked High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and the European Commission to continue collaborating with Sri Lanka in order to support its efforts to lay the groundwork for a renewed application for GSP+. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)