By: Staff Writer
Colombo (LNW): Green economic recovery is a top priority for the European Union (EU) in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, the EU said in a statement today.
The EU Delegation to Sri Lanka and the Maldives launched its campaign “Let’s Go Green” which will continue until 10th November 2023 in the run up to the COP28 Summit.
The campaign aims to create awareness and advocate for responsible green behaviour around plastic usage, waste reduction and energy saving among consumers.
The campaign will include a series of competitions and awareness activities primarily aimed at school and university students encouraging them to debate and invent their own solutions to current issues around Sri Lanka’s environmental challenges.
The campaign also hopes to encourage green behaviour among businesses, bringing stakeholders from the private sector together to shed light on the importance of adopting circular business practices and integrating holistic solutions to reduce waste.
Green economic recovery is a top priory for the EU in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, with several projects implemented in both countries to support sustainable tourism, marine conservation and biodiversity protection.
These initiatives are carried out in the context of the European Green Deal which is a set of policy initiatives by the European Union with the overarching aim of making the planet greener.
The European Commission has suggested that the current GSP+ (Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus) scheme be extended by 04 years, amidst the ongoing negotiations for the EU’s new GSP+ arrangement.
Taking to Twitter, the Delegation of European Union (EU) to Sri Lanka has mentioned that as one of Sri Lanka’s largest trading partners with nearly EUR 3.2 billion worth of Sri Lankan exports to the European Union in 2022 alone, it recognises the importance of GSP+ scheme for Sri Lankan exporters.
Accordingly, the European Commission has proposed a 4-year extension to the current scheme to be in effect until 31 Dec 2027.
“As negotiations for our new GSP+ arrangement are still ongoing between the EU’s co-legislators, the European Commission has proposed a 4-year extension to the current scheme until 31 Dec 2027 so that countries like Sri Lanka don’t lose their preferential access in the interim”, the EU delegation tweeted.
Furthermore, the EU delegation noted that for Sri Lanka, the GSP+ extension proposal means that, for now, nothing changes, and that it will provide the same access to European Union’s market and the same obligation to comply with the 27 international conventions, which are key to ensuring that the country’s economic recovery is “not just fast, but also fair, just, and green.”
