President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said he will ask the European Union (EU) to retain the Philippines from enjoying the benefits of the Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+), which include zero tariff on thousands of Philippine exports to the West.

This came after the EU Parliament in February obliged the Philippines to ensure its adherence to the 27 international conventions on human and labor rights, the environment and good governance as it expressed concern of the extrajudicial killings and other serious human rights violations in the country, among others.

The Philippines is among countries granted by the EU the GSP+ status, which consequently grants special incentives and zero tariffs on Philippine exports to EU, particularly the 6,200 products that include fruits, animal and vegetable fat, textile, footwear, vehicle parts, and metals.

Speaking with reporters on Monday before arriving in Belgium to attend the ASEAN-EU Summit, Marcos said human rights and GSP+ status “should be related to the other but we’ll see.”

“We’ll bring it up with the EU,” he added.

The EU Parliament first warned the Philippines of its possible withdrawal from the GSP in 2020. It issued the warning again in 2022.

Source:
courtesy of MANILA BULLETIN

by Joseph Pedrajas

If you have any stories or news that you would like to share with the global online community, please feel free to share it with us by contacting us directly at [email protected]