Withdrawal of tariff preferences from Myanmar/Burma as a beneficiary of the ‘everything but arms’ scheme
2.9.2022
Question for written answer E-002926/2022
to the Commission
Rule 138
Jordi Cañas (Renew)
Since the 2021 military coup in Myanmar/Burma, human rights violations have been a daily occurrence.
On 10 March 2022, the European Parliament tabled a resolution urging the Commission to take action on the deplorable state of affairs in the country and calling on it to launch an investigation on whether to withdraw tariff preferences to Myanmar/Burma as a beneficiary of the everything but arms (EBA) trade scheme[1].
More recently, on 25 July 2022, the military junta announced that it had executed four pro-democracy political activists[2]. This is in direct violation of the conventions that the EU requires Myanmar/Burma to ratify for it to join the EBA scheme[3] and is further evidence of its regime’s anti-democratic nature.
Given these developments and Parliament's demands in the ongoing review of the GSP Regulation, the Commission must be consistent with its own policies and make the continued granting of such preferences to Myanmar/Burma contingent on its strict compliance with international conventions and respect for human rights.
Does the Commission intend to initiate the procedure for the temporary withdrawal of GSP preferences from Myanmar/Burma under the current GSP Regulation?[4]
- [1] https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2022-0079_EN.html
- [2] https://elpais.com/internacional/2022-07-25/la-junta-militar-de-myanmar-ejecuta-en-la-horca-a-cuatro-activistas-pro-democracia.html
- [3] The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention (https://gsphub.eu/monitoring-database?page=1&country=Myanmar)
- [4] These preferences have already been suspended on one occasion in the past. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX%3A31997R0552