The Republic of Uzbekistan becomes the 9th beneficiary country of the special arrangement for sustainable development and good governance of the Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP+). The preferential tariffs resulting from this integration came into force on 10 April 2021.
The Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) is a facility granted unilaterally to developing countries. The GSP+ regime, which is part of it, removes more tariffs. It is aimed at low- and middle-income countries, which implement 27 international conventions on human rights, labour law, environmental protection and good governance.
The EU has recognised the efforts made in Uzbekistan on the judicial system, security services and working conditions. The International Labour Organization (ILO) has confirmed that child labour in cotton colonies has been eradicated.
However, the EU points out that two areas in particular need to be monitored: the revision of the criminal code and the labour code. It also highlights the criminalisation of same-sex relationships, which “continues to be problematic in terms of full alignment with international conventions”. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)