EU-Sri Lanka relations: A new chapter begins

By K. Godage

Having served no less than eight years in Brussels and four of them as Ambassador to the EU, I was delighted to learn that a high-level delegation from the EU was visiting our country. The top-level delegation will be in the island to discuss a range of issues with the Government, including the possibility of regaining the Generalised System of Preferences plus (GSP+) tariff concession facility.

Official relations between the EU and Sri Lanka go back to 1975, when the European Commission concluded a commercial cooperation agreement with the Sri Lankan Government.

A comprehensive cooperation agreement on partnership and development <http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/sri_lanka/documents/eu_sri_lanka/co_ap_agreement_en.pdf> referred to as the Third Generation Agreement was signed in 1993 when I was Ambassador. In 1995, the EU opened a delegation office in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo and the relationship moved on.

Under this agreement, relations between the two parties are coordinated by the EU-Sri Lanka Joint Commission continued to improve though certain elements who were dependent on Diaspora votes and more on their money in the UK, where no less than five meetings were held at Westminster House sought to haul us over the coals, after the LTTE was wiped out. 

The hostile attitude and actions such as the restrictions on our exports to the EU and the GSP Plus issue came after that, after the defeat of the LTTE. (During the war years when I was serving in Brussels we were assisted not faulted, though the European Parliament did pass resolutions relating to our war). We have come some way since and a better relationship is being developed after the new Government came into office, with the most recent meeting being held in April 2015.

I have been given to understand that our Apparel Exporters Association would be meeting the delegation and I hope that this meaningless GSP Plus issue will be resolved in the mutual interest.

A new chapter in our relations with the EU has begun; incidentally our relations with Portugal is over 400 years old, our relations with the Netherlands is over 300 years and with Britain it is over 200 years and today we have political system bequeathed by Britain including an administrative system and a judicial system bequeathed by them, so our relations with the EU is very special and the EU should become a partner and not seek to fault unnecessarily. 

They should not seek to point a finger at us for there would be three pointing at them and I am not referring to the Chillcot and Cooper reports alone; let us recall that of the 50 million that died in the Second Word War in Europe 30 million were civilians, let us also recall the Dresden Bombings and todays blind bombings in the Middle East and the killings of hundreds and the chaos that has led to millions escaping to Europe to save their lives; I do not wish to embarrass our visitors by recalling the infamous statement of the then EC when the Indians violated our Airspace, our sovereignty and our territorial integrity; when India indulged in their infamous ‘Paripoo drop’ to stop the Vadamaarrachchi operation that saved the LTTE; today with the emergence of India and China as great powers and our strategic location in the Indian Ocean, a new situation has developed; so let EU now dump the past and get on with developing our relations.  

Today, the dialogue between the EU and Sri Lanka should cover a broad spectrum of issues:

1) Political matters

2) Human rights, (how many countries provide free medicare and free education including medical, engineering and all other fields of learning to all its citizens)

3) Trade

4) Development cooperation

5) Fisheries

6) Migration

7) Civil aviation

8) Environmental issues.

The EU remains Sri Lanka’s main export destination, accounting for around 32% of Sri Lanka’s total exports to the world. Trade <http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/countries/sri-lanka/> flows between the two came to €3.8 billion in 2014, with a major trade surplus of €1.2 billion in Sri Lanka’s favour.

The EU has provided substantial humanitarian and development aid, especially to the areas hit by the 2004 tsunami and the long civil war. EU assistance <http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/sri_lanka/projects/overview/index_en.htm> over the 2005-2013 period totalled some €587 million. We as a country are grateful; so join us as partners and help us develop this mutually-beneficial relationship further.

(The writer can be reached via [email protected].)