Uzbek textiles ready to get favourable treatment in EU

Textile products from Uzbekistan are almost set to receive customs privileges in EU countries, as the Oliy Majlis, the upper house of the Uzbek parliament, has ratified the ‘textiles protocol’ to the partnership and cooperation agreement (PCA) between the EU and Uzbekistan. The European Parliament had ratified the protocol in December 2016.

In accordance with the procedure, the law ‘On ratification of the protocol to the EU-Uzbekistan PCA and bilateral trade in textiles’ would now be submitted to Uzbek president for signing, as per a Trend News Agency report.
The ‘textiles protocol’ document envisages customs privileges while processing, supplying and transit of Uzbek textile products to the EU countries.

Up till now, the most favoured nation treatment as part of the PCA has not been applied to the import of textile products from Uzbekistan. There was also a double licensing system when issuing permits for the import of textile products from Uzbekistan to the EU.

The European Parliament had ratified the protocol in December last year after Uzbekistan complied with the requirement to eradicate child labour in cotton harvesting.

Earlier this year, IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, launched a new programme in Uzbekistan in order to help cotton farmers improve their production efficiency, safeguard the environment, and improve labour practices. This programme is part of an effort by IFC to accelerate Uzbekistan’s economic growth by modernising one of the country’s most important industries.