Comoros

The Comoros is a beneficiary of the EU's "Everything but Arms" (EBA) scheme. The World Bank categorises the country a lower-middle income country with a per-capita income of $ 1.610 in 2022. Preferential imports to the European market amounted to €5 million in 2022 while overall EU imports from the Comoros amounted to EUR about 8 million in 2022.

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.

Comoros flag

At a glance: EBA beneficiaries' preferential imports to the EU

group

836,77 K

Population

account_balance
Federal Presidential Republic

Government

trending_up

2.40%

GDP Growth

equalizer

1.20%

Inflation

money

$ 1,24 B

GDP

42 -

Freedomhouse index

- -

ITUC Global Rights Index

42.5 ^

Environmental Performance Index

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 United Arab Emirates and the EU. The largest share of exports, more than 28%, go to the EU. The most important source of imports are the UAE, the EU 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 € 59 million in 2022. With 18% of total trade, the EU is the Comoros' second most important trading partner, after the UAE.

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)

Contact points