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The "Everything but Arms" Initiative.
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 EBA Links |
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Given the great number of developing countries, differences
between them – in terms of level of development – are huge. The rationale of the
GSP is that developing countries cannot compete with developed countries. At
present, some developing countries cannot even face the competition of other
developing countries. Thus, there is a need to target the tariff preferences
available under the GSP to these least developed countries, which need them
most.
In February 2001, the Council adopted the so-called "EBA
(Everything But Arms) Regulation” (Regulation (EC) 416/2001), granting duty-free
access to imports of all products from least developed countries without any
quantitative restrictions, except to arms and munitions. At present, 49
developing countries belong to the category of LDC's. The provisions of the EBA
Regulation have been incorporated into the GSP Regulation.
Only imports of fresh bananas, rice and sugar are not fully
liberalised immediately. Duties on those products will be gradually reduced
until duty free access will be granted for bananas in January 2006, for sugar in
July 2009 and for rice in September 2009. In the meantime, there will be duty
free tariff quotas for rice and sugar (see the latest regulations for sugar
quotas No 1381/2002 and rice quotas 1401/2002 in the list of legislation).
The EBA Regulation foresees that the special arrangements for
LDC's should be maintained for an unlimited period of time and not be subject to
the periodic renewal of the Community's scheme of generalised preferences.
Therefore, the date of expiry of Council Regulation (EC) No 2501/2001 does not
apply to its EBA provisions.
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