EU to suspend some of Cambodia trade benefits over human rights

EPA-EFE/KITH SEREY
Cambodian protesters and police officers stand outside of National Olympic stadium during a International Women's Day rally in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 08 March 2019.

- Advertisement -

The European Union will partially suspend the Everything But Arms (EBA) trade privileges Cambodia is enjoying because of systematic violations of human rights, the European Commission said on Wednesday.
Cambodia will lose about 20% of the preferential rights it enjoys under EBA, which accounts for around €1 billion of Cambodia’s yearly exports to the EU, but will still receive support on the diversification of its exports so that emerging industries continue to enjoy duty-free, quota-free access to the bloc.
The withdrawal will come into effect on 12 August 2020 unless the European Parliament and the Council object to the decision.
“The European Union will not stand and watch as democracy is eroded, human rights curtailed, and free debate silenced,” EU’s Foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement, with Commissioner for Trade Phil Hogan adding that “the respect for human rights is non-negotiable” for the bloc.
Land-grabbing, labour rights and political repression are the long-standing problems in Cambodia, as the European Commission identified them in 2019. The EU executive said in a report on Tuesday that Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen’s government had cracked down on opposition, civil society groups and the media over the past three years.
The Union holds the right to withdraw EBA benefits in case of a ‘serious and systematic violation’ of the International Labour Organisation principles, on which EBA is compliant. The EBA scheme was established in 2001 and gives to 48 of the world’s poorest countries duty-free access to EU markets.
 

 
 
- Advertisement -

Subscribe to our newsletter

Latest

EU officially implements landmark AI law

The EU officially implemented its new landmark AI law...

Trump administration unleashes first sanctions on Iranian shadow fleet

On February 6, the Department of the Treasury unleashed...

Tariff Trouble in Trump Town

President Trump has had many a cartoon about him...

Global reaction to Trump tariffs only reinforces his use of this tired and risky strategy

True to form, U.S. President Donald Trump disrupted global...

Don't miss

EU officially implements landmark AI law

The EU officially implemented its new landmark AI law...

Trump administration unleashes first sanctions on Iranian shadow fleet

On February 6, the Department of the Treasury unleashed...

Tariff Trouble in Trump Town

President Trump has had many a cartoon about him...

Global reaction to Trump tariffs only reinforces his use of this tired and risky strategy

True to form, U.S. President Donald Trump disrupted global...

The New Face of an Old Enemy: The renewed dangers of ISIS and al-Qaeda

A dangerous cocktail of indifference and complacency enabled al-Qaeda...

EU officially implements landmark AI law

The EU officially implemented its new landmark AI law on February 2, aiming to ensure safety and ethical use of Artificial Intelligence. The European...

Trump administration unleashes first sanctions on Iranian shadow fleet

On February 6, the Department of the Treasury unleashed the first wave of the new Trump administration’s economic sanctions using the tried-and-true U.S. Government/Treasury...

Tariff Trouble in Trump Town

President Trump has had many a cartoon about him as a child throwing toys and anything to hand out of the playpen. Now, of...

Global reaction to Trump tariffs only reinforces his use of this tired and risky strategy

True to form, U.S. President Donald Trump disrupted global markets with a three-day surge of tariff announcements, border security negotiations and ultimately a 30-day...

The New Face of an Old Enemy: The renewed dangers of ISIS and al-Qaeda

A dangerous cocktail of indifference and complacency enabled al-Qaeda to evolve from a shadowy fringe network in the early 1990s into one of the...

Donald Trump is inaugurated amidst promises of security, stability and prosperity

After storming a frigid Washington D.C. during his extended inauguration festivities on January 20, Donald J Trump, America’s 47th and 45th President, launched a...

The heat is on Trump’s fossil fuel push, climate change pushback

2024 has officially been confirmed as the warmest year on record, with global temperatures surpassing the 1.5°C threshold mentioned in the Paris Agreement, Alberto...

The Biden administration’s parting gift to Russia: Still more sanctions

Clearly working overtime to underscore the Biden administration’s desire to inflict maximum economic pain on Moscow and its coterie of Ukraine invasion supporters outside...