According to a report by The Myanmar Times on July 10, the EU is still considering whether to cancel the GSP treatment for Myanmar. The European Union Monitoring Mission was originally scheduled to go to Myanmar this summer to conduct on-site inspections of the human rights situation and the government’s willingness to improve human rights, but was later postponed due to the COVID-19 epidemic. The EU requires Aung San Suu Kyi’s government to submit a written report by mid-September on the latest progress in dealing with the conflict in northern Rakhine State and other human rights issues.
Myanmar has enjoyed the EU’s Generalized System of Preferences since 2013. In 2017, the Tatmadaw launched military operations in northern Rakhine State, causing hundreds of thousands of Muslims to flee to Bangladesh. The EU has initiated a review of whether to cancel Myanmar’s GSP on the grounds of human rights issues, but has not yet made a final decision.
Myanmar’s exports to the EU reached US$3.2 billion in 2019, with textiles accounting for a large proportion. If the EU cancels the GSP treatment for Myanmar, thousands of people will lose their jobs. </p
