Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka was granted GSP+ status again in May 2017 after GSP+ preferences had been revoked in 2010 due to human rights abuses following the country’s civil war. In compliance with the requirements under GSP+, Sri Lanka has ratified all 27 core international conventions on human rights, labour standards, environmental protection and good governance. Sri Lanka is a lower-middle income economy with a per-capita income of $3,828 in 2023. EU imports from Sri Lanka amounted to about €2.6 billion in 2023, of which about €1.3 billion were imported benefitting from GSP+ preferences.
What is the GSP+?
The GSP+ is a special incentive arrangement for Sustainable Development and Good Governance that supports vulnerable developing countries. Next to fulfilling the eligibility requirements of the Standard GSP, GSP+ countries are required to ratify 27 international conventions on human rights, labour rights, environmental protection and climate change, and good governance. In order to ensure effective implementation of the conventions as well as compliance with reporting obligations, the EU engages in monitoring activities with the GSP+ countries. GSP+ beneficiaries can benefit from complete duty suspensions for products across approximately 66% of all EU tariff lines.
At a glance: EU preferential imports from GSP+ beneficiary countries (2023, € million)
22.0M (2023)
Population
Presidential Republic
Government
-2.3% (2023)
GDP Growth
16.5% (2023)
Inflation
$ 84.4B (2023)
GDP
Facts about Sri Lanka's economy
Tea Production
Sri Lanka is one the world’s largest tea producers and exporters, alongside China and India. Sri Lanka exports tea worth €1.2 billion annually. Most of these tea exports go to Africa, the Middle East, and other Asian nations.
Export Products
Sri Lanka's top export articles are apparel products, more particularly brassieres, gloves, and trousers. Sri Lanka also exports black tea and tyres, as well as a range of agricultural and manufactured products.
Trade Partners
India (16% of total trade in 2023), the EU and China (12% each) were the top three trading partners in 2023. India and China are by far the most important sources of Sri Lanka's imports. The US are the most important destination for products from Sri Lanka, with the EU ranking second.
Economic Structure
The service sector contributes 60% to Sri Lanka's GDP (2023), followed by the industrial sector with 26%. The industrial sector mainly consists of the processing of agricultural goods, telecommunications, textiles, cement, and construction. About 27% of the population is employed in the agricultural sector, although it contributes less than 9% to the country's GDP.
Usage of GSP+ Preferences
49% of Sri Lanka's total exports to the EU used GSP+ preferences in 2023. The preference utilisation rate, which represents the ratio of preferential imports to GSP+ eligible imports, stood at 59%.
Trade with the EU
Total trade between the EU and Sri Lanka amounted to €3.8 billion in 2023. With a share of 12.4% of Sri Lanka's overall trade, the EU is the second most important trading partner, and 18.5% of the country's total exports are destined for the EU.
Sri Lanka and the EU
Imports from Sri Lanka by product section (2023, € million)
Imports from Sri Lanka over time (€ million)
SRI LANKA AND THE EU GSP
Economic Impact
84%
A large share of Sri Lanka's exports to the EU were eligible for tariff reductions under the GSP+ in 2023.
59%
Sri Lanka's preference utilisation rate in 2023.
65%
Share of zero-duty imports from Sri Lanka.
Preference utilisation and export diversification
EU imports from Sri Lanka (€ million)
Preference utilisation (%) vs. total eligible imports (in € million)
EU imports of GSP+ preference-eligible products from Sri Lanka steadily increased from 2013 to 2019. Since then, they have become volatile - first dropping in 2020 and 2021, before rebounding strongly in 2022 and then decreasing again sharply in 2023. Sri Lanka's preference utilisation rate showed a downward trend until 2017 and only increased in 2018, when Sri Lanka was granted GSP+ preferences again after they had been revoked in 2010. In 2022 68% of eligible imports made use of the preferential GSP+ tariffs - considerably below the average of other GSP+ countries - and this dropped to 59% in 2023. The low overall preference utilisation rate can be partly explained by the small share of preferential imports in the apparel sector, the largest export sector to the EU. Less than half of eligible apparel imports made use of the preferences in 2023. A number of product sections, however, have preference utilisation rates above 80%. These include among the major groups rubber, fish, and food preparations.
The largest product sections under the GSP+ (€ million, 2023)
Imports which make use of the reduced duties under the GSP+ are largely concentrated on apparel and rubber. These two product sections together accounted 67% of preferential imports in 2023. However, preference utilisation in the apparel sector is low, as well as in the machinery sector. Nevertheless, preferential imports of machinery were among the fastest-growing product groups in the period 2021 to 2023.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND MONITORING PRIORITIES
During the reporting period 2020-2022, Sri Lanka engaged seriously with the EU through regular exchanges on GSP+ compliance issues. The monitoring cycle was marked by a number of developments, and therefore this report mirrors the complex situation in Sri Lanka. On the one hand, Sri Lanka withdrew in 2020 from the co-sponsorship of the UN Human Rights Council Resolution adopted in 2015. On the other hand, against the background of a severe economic and financial crisis, protests and social movements led to a peaceful Presidential transition in 2022.
Monitoring priorities during the reporting period 2024-2025
Fundamental freedoms
Prevention of terrorism act
Reconciliation process
Civil society space
Anti-corruption
Decriminalising same-sex relations
Freedom of association and collective bargaining
Drug control in compliance with human rights commitments
Environmental conventions
For the reporting period 2024-2025, the EU has focussed its monitoring activities on nine priority areas. Sri Lanka is seeking to mitigate the impact of a deep economic and financial crisis on the most vulnerable parts of the population, on labour rights as well as on environmental standards and its new administration has committed to improve good governance and to fight corruption. Yet, while efforts have been made to bring Sri Lanka’s counterterrorism legislation in line with international standards and to promote reconciliation and human rights, challenges remain. As Sri Lanka continues on the path of economic and political reform, the democratic and open spirit of the 2022 protests should not be reversed.
EU-Sri Lanka Bilateral Development Cooperation
DG INTPA
Access all info about EU-Sri Lanka relations on the International Partnerships website.