By Easwaran Rutnam Sri Lanka risks losing the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP Plus) trade benefit if it goes ahead with moves to implement the death penalty. European Parliament Member and Head of the Delegation for Relations with the Countries of South Asia Jean Lambert told The Sunday Morning that the new European Union (EU) Parliament will evaluate the EU's GSP Plus agreement with Sri Lanka. “The EU has a principled stance against the death penalty and views this latest development with concern. The incoming Parliament will doubtless consider this when they evaluate the EU's GSP Plus agreement with Sri Lanka,” she said. Last week, the EU, in a statement, also urged Sri Lanka to uphold the country’s international commitments. The EU noted that Sri Lanka is actively moving towards resuming executions, which would bring an end to its 43-year moratorium on the death penalty. The EU warned that such a move would directly contradict Sri Lanka’s commitment taken at the 73rd UN General Assembly in December 2018 to maintain the moratorium. The EU said that it will continue to monitor Sri Lanka’s effective implementation of the 27 international conventions relating to the GSP Plus commitment, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Meanwhile, the UK had also warned Sri Lanka of the consequences of re-implementing the death penalty. The UK Foreign Office said that implementation of the death penalty will inevitably make it more difficult for the UK to cooperate with Sri Lanka on law enforcement issues, including on counter terrorism, and will require the UK to review technical assistance programmes on relevant policing, defence, and other security issues. The UK Foreign Office said that a reversal of this policy would be a regressive step that would harm Sri Lanka’s international standing and its reputation as a tourist destination and growing centre for business.