What is the EBA?
The “Everything but Arms”(EBA) scheme is a permanent arrangement covering Least Developed Countries (LDC’s) as classified by the United Nations. This arrangement enables duty-free and quota-free access for all products (7200 products in total) originating in LDC’s except for arms and ammunition. Different from the Standard GSP and GSP+, LDC’s are not excluded from the scheme if they benefit from other preferential arrangements.
At a glance: EBA beneficiaries' preferential imports to the EU
836,77 K
Population
Federal Presidential Republic
Government
2.40%
GDP Growth
1.20%
Inflation
$ 1,24 B
GDP
Facts about The Comoros' economy
Island Economy
Comoros is an archipelago island nation located off the eastern coast of Africa. The volcanic islands are covered by mountainous terrain.
Export Products
The Comoros' most important export goods are cloves, essential oils, vessels, and vanilla.
Trade Partners
The Comoros' most important trading partners are the EU and the United Arab Emirates. The largest share of exports, almost 22%, go to India. 44.1 %of the total share is exported to the EU market. The most important source of imports are the EU, UAE, and Pakistan.
Economic Structure
The agricultural sector remains the backbone of the economy, with subsistence farming accounting for the largest share. Cloves, ylang-ylang, and vanilla are the main source of foreign exchange earnings. The manufacturing sector is closely intertwined with the agricultural outputs and focusses on the processing of vanilla, cloves and copra and the production of essential oils.
Ylang-Ylang and Vanilla
Despite its small size, the Comoros is the world’s largest producer of ylang-ylang essence which is used in perfumes. Additionally, the Comoros is the world’s second largest producer of vanilla.
Trade with the EU
Total trade with the EU summed up to € 90 million in 2021. With almost 27% of total trade, the EU is the Comoros' most important trading partner. About 44.1% of exports go to the European market.
The Comoros and the EU (2022)
Imports from the Comoros by product section
Imports from the Comoros over time (in € m)
THE COMOROS AND THE EU’s GSP
Economic Impact
64%
64% of the Comoros' exports to the European market are eligible for EBA preferences.
90.70%
With a preference utilisation rate of 90.7%, the Comoros makes good use of EBA preferences
Preference utilisation and export diversification
The Comoros' imports to the EU
Preference Utilisation vs. total eligible imports
Comoros Islands benefitted considerably from the GSP regulation updated in 2014. Following this reform, the preference utilisation rate increased substantially and peaked in 2015 at 98%. In 2022 ther preferential rate stands at 90.7%. Between 2020 and 2022, however, total imports from Comoros decreased by 60%.
The largest product sections under EBA
The Comoros Islands mainly uses the preferences granted under the EBA for its vanilla exports, which in 2022 represented 60% ot total imports, with utilisation rate at 96%.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
As a beneficiary of the EBA, the Comoros is not obligated to ratify any conventions to be able to benefit from preferential access to the European market. Nonetheless, the Comoros has signed or ratified all 15 core international conventions on human and labour rights. The Comoros has ratified 5 UN human rights conventions and 8 ILO conventions on labour standards. The Comoros has also signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Additionally, the Comoros has ratified 8 conventions on environmental protection and 4 conventions on good governance aspects.
Core international conventions on human rights and labour standards
Ratified
- Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948)
- International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (1969)
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1976)
- International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (1976)
- Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (1981)
- Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1987)
- Convention on the Rights of the Child (1990)
- Convention concerning Forced or Compulsory Labour, No 29 (1930)
- Convention concerning Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise, No 87 (1948)
- Convention concerning the Application of the Principles of the Right to Organise and to Bargain Collectively, No 98 (1949)
- Convention concerning Equal Remuneration of Men and Women Workers for Work of Equal Value, No 100 (1951)
- Convention concerning the Abolition of Forced Labour, No 105 (1957)
- Convention concerning Discrimination in Respect of Employment and Occupation, No 111 (1958)
- Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment, No 138 (1973)
- Convention concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour, No 182 (1999)
Additional Conventions
- Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (1973)
- Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (1987)
- Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal (1989)
- Convention on Biological Diversity (1992)
- The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (1992)
- Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (2000)
- Stockholm Convention on persistent Organic Pollutants (2001)
- Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (1998)
- United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs (1961)
- United Nations Convention on Psychotropic Substances (1971)
- United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (1988)
- United Nations Convention against Corruption (2004)
EU-The Comoros Bilateral Development Assistance
DG INTPA
Access all info about EU-Comoros relations on the International Partnerships website: https://international-partnerships.ec.europa.eu/countries/comoros_en
Opportunities in Comoros
- Recent investments in infrastructure projects, including road construction, telecommunication infrastructure and electricity supply
- Investment opportunities in ylang-ylang essence for the perfume and soap industry
- The world’s second-largest vanilla exporter (after Madagascar)
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By submitting a comment I confirm to have read the Terms and Conditions. Users should be aware that if in breach of the Terms and Conditions that their comments, replies and contributions can be removed from the website.
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