European Commission officer downplays effects of Belarus withdrawal from Generalized System of Preferences :: Charter'97 :: News

An officer at the European Commission has downplayed effects of the suspension of Belarus` benefits under the Generalized System of Preferences on the country`s economy.

The officer, who asked not to be identified, told a group of Belarusian reporters in Brussels on Thursday that the European Commission estimated the country’s annual losses from the suspension of the trade benefits at €12 million, which she noted was significantly lower than some media outlets and economists in Belarus suggested.

She said that the European Commission had calculated possible losses one more time after receiving reports that the some Belarusian economists and media outlets estimated them at €300 million.

The officer stressed that the €12 million accounted only for 0.4 percent of Belarusian exports, suggesting that the imposition of the mini trade sanctions was more a political move aimed at encouraging the Belarusian authorities to make positive steps and start respecting trade unions` rights.

The European Union scrapped the import-duty reductions for Belarus as punishment for Minsk`s failure to respect independent trade unions` rights and fulfill recommendations by the International Labor Organization.