DTI unconcerned about EU trade threat
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is unfazed by the European Union (EU) Parliament’s threat of revoking its zero-tariff export status due to alleged human rights violations.
DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez called some parliament members “misinformed” with the country’s human rights issues and reiterated that the stories are “still unfounded.”
This comes after The EU Parliament urged the EU Commission to “set clear, public, time-bound benchmarks for the Philippines to comply with its human rights obligations.”
The EU Parliament also requested the commission to immediately initiate the procedure that could lead to the temporary withdrawal of GSP+ preferences if the Philippine authorities do not make significant improvements and cooperate.
The EU’s GSP+ program grants zero tariffs on 6,274 product lines in the Philippines.
Lopez added that the country remains in compliance with the 27 international core conventions on human rights, labor, the environment, and good governance.
