The European Commission carried out its threat and responded to the "serious and systematic violations" of the Cambodian regime on Wednesday 12 February by depriving the country of part of the trade privileges granted under the "Everything But Arms" tariff preference scheme (see EUROPE 12423/21, 12367/10).
"Respect for human rights is non-negotiable for us", Phil Hogan hammered home in a statement issued the same day. "Our goal is for the Cambodian authorities to end human rights violations and we will continue to work with them to achieve this", he also pledged.
By targeting the best performing sectors of this country which is a Least Developed Country (LDC) - some clothing and footwear, all travel goods and sugar - the Commission is sparing some emerging sectors of the Indochinese economy. The sanctions will still affect 20% of Cambodia's annual exports to the EU, worth €1.1 billion.
"This is not about imposing a penalty", a Commission spokesman said at a press conference on Wednesday 12 February. Because it is trying to "limit the possible impact on certain sectors of the population", the Commission considers its decision to be "balanced". It sanctions Prime Minister Hun Sen's regime, while preserving the objective of developing its tariff preference scheme.
In 2018, the EU Council had asked the Commission to strengthen its monitoring of the political situation in Cambodia and its cooperation with the Cambodian authorities. At the beginning of 2019, the Commission nevertheless launched its withdrawal procedure (see EUROPE 12421/11, 12191/12).
If the EU Council and Parliament endorse this decision, it will enter into force on 12 August 2020. (Original version in French by Hermine Donceel)