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EU monitoring mission: Repeal PTA: TNA to request EU

25 Sep 2021

By Skandha Gunasekara The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) will insist that the European Union (EU) ensures the Sri Lankan Government repeals the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act (PTA) as a condition to securing the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences-Plus (GSP+) trade concessions. TNA parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran said the Government must be held to its word of doing away with the PTA. “We will insist on getting it repealed. The Sri Lankan Government gave an undertaking that the PTA would be repealed. So, under that undertaking, the GSP was given back in 2017. So, we will insist that that condition be maintained,” he told The Sunday Morning. The TNA is to meet with the EU delegation on Tuesday (28). The EU monitoring mission, scheduled to arrive this week, includes its Senior Advisor on Trade and would be in the country for a period of 10 days. According to sources at the EU Delegation in Colombo, the EU mission will consist of Senior Advisor on Trade and Sustainable Development Nikolaos Zaimis, European External Action Service (EEAS) South Asia Division Head Ionnis Giogkarakis-Argyropoulos, GSP Trade Preferences Co-ordinator Guido Dolara, European Commission Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs, and Inclusion Head of Unit Lluis Prats, and EEAS Desk Officer for Sri Lanka and the Maldives Monika Bylaite. On the agenda would be discussions on the GSP+ trade concessions, which were revoked from Sri Lanka in 2010 and reassigned in 2017. In addition, the EU mission would also be monitoring the progress of Sri Lanka’s efforts in repealing or amending the PTA. The delegation will visit Sri Lanka from 27 September to 5 October. They will meet representatives of the Government, civil society, trade unions, employers, as well as United Nations (UN) agencies.


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