COLOMBO, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- The European Commission decided on Wednesday to restore trade concessions under the General System of Preference Plus (GSP-Plus) to Sri Lanka on condition that Sri Lanka fulfills its international obligations in regard to the maintenance of human rights and good governance.
"Removal of customs duties would be accompanied by rigorous monitoring and conditional on continued commitment to sustainable development, human rights and good governance," the European Commission said.
The Commission proposed that a significant part of the remaining import duties on Sri Lankan products be removed by the European Union in exchange for the country's commitment to ratify and effectively implement 27 international conventions on human rights, labor conditions, protection of the environment and good governance.
The European Parliament and the Council have now up to four months to raise potential objections before the measures become effective.
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said his country has won human rights, democracy as a result of the actions of the current administration and the European Union was restoring GSP plus free trade access to the country.
GSP plus was withdrawn from Sri Lanka due to the weakening human rights under the ousted Mahinda Rajapaksa regime.
