To Brussels With A Begging Bowl ….

A special delegation of government representatives went to Brussels yesterday (18th) to request for the ‘Development-Generalized System of Preferences’ (GSP) tax relief for 7200 items produced in Sri Lanka including garments. The special delegation includes Secretary to the Foreign Ministry Romesh Jayasinghe, Attorney General Mohan Peiris and Secretary to the Ministry of Finance P.B. Jayasundara. Another delegation visited Brussels in March this year to request for GSP+.

According to government sources the delegation will have discussions with several senior officials of the European Union and EU would be apprised regarding the human rights situation in Sri Lanka, the national unity that has occurred with the end of the war and reconstruction of the North and the East.  

However, at a seminar held in Berlin by Amnesty International it had been stated that the human rights situation in Sri Lanka was not satisfactory. It has been stated that civilians in IDP camps in Vanni were being killed and women were being sexually abused. Meanwhile, among the charges that have been brought against Sri Lanka are violations of human rights, harassment of journalists and violation of media freedom. International community has not been satisfied with the process in Sri Lanka to resolve these issues.

This situation resulted in removing temporarily the GSP+ tax relief given to Sri Lanka and the European Commission had stated they could consider making available GSP+ again if Sri Lanka could resolve those issues. Speaking regarding GSP+ the Head of the delegation to Sri Lanka from the European Commission, Ambassador Bernard Savage said the decision to grant GSP+ to Sri Lanka would depend on the human rights situation in the country. He had said the GSP+ facility is in the hands of the Sri Lankan government and had stated Sri Lanka could regain the benefit by taking the opportunity to implement all the conventions it is signatory to. 

During the election period the government told the people (in Sinhalese of course) that they would never kneel down before EU to get GSP+ and Sri Lanka could progress without the GSP. However, Sri Lankan delegations have visited Brussels twice now to ask for GSP+.