When The European Union talks of human rights, analysts wonder whether the European block had ever considered the repercussions to a country like Sri Lanka should the extension of GSP+ be denied.
For a country where the trade deficit keeps widening, evermore now thanks to escalating world food and oil prices, export earnings and foreign remittances go along way to sustain an import dependent economy. The apparel sector is US$ 3 billion export industry, the biggest earner as far as exports go.
350,000 people making a living in the apparel industry, are directly employed. Add their dependents, a generous estimate would mean that a little less than a million people depend on the apparel industry.
When Sri Lanka’s new ambassador to the European Union presented his credentials to the President of the European Commission (EC), Jose Manuel Barroso, he wasted no time in doing what he was meant to do—He engaged the EC President on Sri Lanka’s application for an extension of GSP+ facilities and the unbalanced statements and mixed reactions of the European Union that had caused the country much concern, the Sri Lankan Embassy in Brussels said.
Responding to concerns raised by Barroso on developments in Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the European Union, Ravinatha Aryasinha said that while Sri Lanka valued constructive suggestions on what could be improved, the positive developments taking place despite trying circumstances, also needed to be acknowledged.
"Unbalanced statements that disregard the context and tended to exaggerate the problems were not helpful," he told Barroso.
Taking the current debate on the extension of GSP+ facility to Sri Lanka as an example, Aryasinha said this facility kept over 350,000 in direct employment, had significantly contributed to poverty reduction, empowered women and uplifted the rural economy.
He expressed the country’s regret in what was seen as a tendency in recent statements and actions by the EU to disregard the significant achievements of Sri Lanka in relation to the environment, labour and good governance, and to singularly focus on human rights, in the context of the GSP+ review.
"Many positive aspects on human rights were glossed over, including the recent Supreme Court ruling that gave legislative backing to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the marked decline of violations over the past year, the prosecution of those, including security forces personnel, responsible for violations, the effort through the Presidential Commission of Inquiry to identify the perpetrators of alleged human rights abuses and the vast strides made in restoring the rights of the people of the Eastern Province through the revival of the economy and the holding of Provincial Council elections after a lapse of 20 years," Aryasinha told the EC President.
The EC President agreed on the need for providing a fair & balanced reaction on the part of the EU, and encouraged the Government of Sri Lanka to debate issues that Sri Lanka feels are under-represented or misrepresented.
"Sri Lanka must not misunderstand the expression of concerns with regard to human rights, as it was not peculiar to Sri Lanka, but was one done in good faith with all of the EU’s partners. The elections to the Eastern Provincial Council were a development in the right direction," Barroso said.
Barroso had expressed hope that the forthcoming Sri Lanka- EC Joint Commission scheduled to be held in Colombo from 9-11 June 2008 would provide a forum for a meaningful dialogue.
