EDB and Expertise France lay groundwork to promote sustainable trade with EU

Wednesday, 15 July 2026 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) and Expertise France have taken the first step towards strengthening cooperation on sustainable trade, with Expertise France Program Officer Yannick Gaudin meeting EDB Chairman Mangala Wijesinghe and senior officials on 9 July 2026. The discussions focused on advancing the European Union-funded Advancing Sustainable Trade between the EU and Sri Lanka project, designed to enhance Sri Lanka’s sustainable, climate-resilient and circular trade potential under the EU’s Global Gateway Strategy, with Expertise France serving as the project’s coordinating and implementing agency.

Expressing his appreciation towards the assistance extended by the EU to Sri Lanka’s export development for decades, EDB Chairman Wijesinghe pledged the fullest cooperation of the export promotion agency towards the successful implementation of the project and elaborated in detail the numerous programs and activities undertaken by the EDB to develop the competency of the country’s export ecosystem to meet the stringent regulatory and sustainability requirements of the EU market.

Expertise France Program Officer Gaudin gave an overview of the initiative and explained how the EU-funded project intends to promote inclusive and sustainable integration into the EU markets by aligning trade-related regulations, advancing the green transition, and adopting climate-adaptive practices that support equitable growth and resilience.

Meanwhile, the representatives of the EDB’s various divisions explained the initiatives implemented by their respective divisions that promote sustainability, inclusivity, compliance with the EU environmental regulations as well as the empowerment of SMEs, activities that closely resonate with the policies advocated by the EU in partner countries.

The potential areas and industries that could become part of the project’s scope were extensively discussed at the occasion and the Expertise France Representative agreed to work closely with the EDB to generate successful outcomes from the EU-funded project.