EBA removal won’t affect development projects: EU

The potential cancellation of the Everything-but-arms (EBA) scheme will not have an impact on development projects in Cambodia funded by the European Union, according to George Edgar, the EU Ambassador to Cambodia.

During a visit to the sites of various development projects in Svay Rieng and Prey Veng provinces last week, Mr Edgar told reporters that revoking the preferential treatment status that the EBA confers will not alter ongoing EU-funded development projects in the country.

“These are really two separate sets of issues. The things we’ve been visiting over the last couple of days relate to the EU cooperation programmes with Cambodia, which come under the specific budget subject to an agreement with the Royal Government,” he said.

“We believe what we have been doing through these programmes is supporting the long-term development of Cambodia which is something that everyone wants to see,” he said.

EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom informed Cambodia in an Oct 5 statement that the EU has begun the process of withdrawing its EBA status, which could take up to six months and is being done due to perceived democratic and human rights setbacks in the Kingdom.

Mr Edgar stressed that the EBA scheme deals exclusively with trade and export activities, which are conditional on the protection of human and labour rights.

“The EBA arrangement relates specifically to trade and exports from Cambodia and other countries that have the EBA arrangement with the European Union,” he said.

“The scheme is subject to conditions that relates to a number of human rights and labour rights.

“The issue that is under discussion at the moment is whether Cambodia is in line with those conditions and, if it is not, what can be done to ensure is in line with those conditions,” he said.

Read more...