EU revises lists of GSP and GSP+ eligible beneficiary countries

On 27 September 2014, the Official Journal published Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1015/2014 of 22 July 2014 amending Annexes II and III to Regulation (EU) No 978/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council applying a scheme of generalised tariff preferences, and repealing Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 154/2013 and Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1016/2014 of 22 July 2014 amending Annex II to Regulation (EU) No 978/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council applying a scheme of generalised tariff preferences which revised the list of countries eligible for Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) benefits.

The following countries have had their eligibility for GSP (Annex II) or GSP+, the special incentive arrangement for sustainable development and good governance (Annex III) changed:

• Turkmenistan has been classified by the World Bank as an upper-middle income country for 2012,2013 and 2014 and will be removed from Annex II as from 1 January 2016;
• Peru, Colombia, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Guatemala have entered into market access arrangements with the EU and will be removed from Annex II with effect from 1 January 2016;
• Costa-Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama and Peru will be removed from Annex III with effect from 1 January 2016;
• Ecuador ceases to be a GSP beneficiary and GSP+ beneficiary as from 1 January 2015;
• Iran and Azerbaijan maintained GSP beneficiary status from 1 January 2014 to 22 February 2014;
• Botswana*, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Fiji, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia*, and Swaziland are added to Annex II as from 1 October 2014;
• *Botswana and Namibia have negotiated bilateral market access preference programs with the EU and will be removed from Annex II as from 1 January 2016 so they are only covered by GSP from 1 October 2014 through 31 December 2015.