BISHKEK (TCA) — The European Union is continuing to offer significant support to trade facilitation activities in Central Asia. Thus, a technical assistance mission on GSP+ will be held in Bishkek on March 28-31 within the framework of Border Management Programme in Central Asia (BOMCA), funded by the European Union, the Delegation of the European Union to the Kyrgyz Republic said on March 28.
Four European experts will meet partners from Ministry of Economy, State Customs Service, Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Agriculture, State Inspectorate on Veterinary and Phytosanitary Safety in order to assess the current state of play and provide recommendations for further implementation of GSP+ provisions.
From January 2016 the Kyrgyz Republic has benefited from the EU’s Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), a bilateral trade arrangement through which the EU provides preferential access to its market to developing countries and territories, in the form of reduced tariffs for their goods when entering the EU market.
In particular, experts will assess the situation in issuance and control of certificates of origin, veterinary and phytosanitary certificates and quality certificates. Based on Mission’s findings, the set of recommendations will be developed on further implementation of GSP+ provisions and shared with the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic.
The workshop will promote EU import standards and raise awareness of the gaps and needs regarding the technical capacities required to export national products to EU member states. In addition, the participants will get acquainted with rules of origin of EU and learn the practices of Lithuanian Customs in issuance and control of certificates of preferential origin.
The first BOMCA operations in Central Asia began in 2003 and, since then, BOMCA has strengthened the partnership between Central Asian Governments in the field of border management. The European Union allocated a sum of EUR 40.8 million to BOMCA for the period of 2003 – 2018.
It is the second EU technical assistance mission on GSP+ since the beginning of this year.
