| Sri Lanka's €744 mn EU trade: Can GSP+ survive the 2028 test? - Fibre2Fashion

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"" + s === s && o[s] ? o[s]() : o.init(s) : e.data(this, t, new c(this, s)) }) }, e.fn[t].hooks = n }(jQuery); + Home / News / Apparel/Garments / | Sri Lanka's €744 mn EU trade: Can GSP+ survive the 2028 test? F2F Prime For You Textiles Apparel Fashion Retail E-commerce Technology Sustainability Chemicals Technical Textiles News Flash US' Levi Strauss names Jeannie Renné-Malone as sustainability chief Is weak demand pushing spandex down despite costlier PTMEG? The Children's Place bankruptcy: Can Asian suppliers recover $76.2 mn? Pakistan's 15 November AI camera deadline: Can spinning mills comply? US cotton futures fall for third session amid stronger dollar Apparel/Garments | Sri Lanka's €744 mn EU trade: Can GSP+ survive the 2028 test? 12 Nov '26 4 min read Pic: Generated by ChatGPT Insights Sri Lanka plans to reapply for EU GSP+ under the 2027 to 2036 framework, with preferences running until December 31, 2028 during transition. Only **7**.* per cent of eligible Sri Lankan clothing imports used GSP+ in 2024, leaving €*** million outside the scheme. Apparel exports fell **.*2 per cent in January to September 2026, while compliance, origin rules and sourcing flexibility shape renewal risks. Sri Lanka’s duty-free access to Europe faces a * * * * deadline, but the bigger challenge may lie elsewhere. Weak export orders, rising compliance demands and the underuse of existing tariff benefits are already testing the country’s competitiveness in the EU market.

Sri Lanka is seeking to protect its tariff advantage in the EU market, even though a significant share of eligible clothing imports does not use the benefit. According to the EU’s July * * * * assessment, only * * . * per cent of eligible Sri Lankan clothing imports claimed GSP+ benefits in * * * * . Of the € * . * * * billion (~$ * . * * billion) in eligible clothing imports, only € * * * million (~$ * * * million) entered the EU using the preferential tariff scheme.