Sri Lanka, Aug. 19 -- The European Union has outlined a set of recommendations for Sri Lanka to comply with in order to continue its preferential access to the EU market under the GSP+ trade programme post-2028. Among the main recommendations are repealing the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) in place of a law in line with international standards, amending or repealing the Online Safety Act, a formal moratorium on the death penalty, and enacting anti-discrimination laws and decriminalisation of consensual same sex relations.

Sri Lanka's elevation to upper-middle-income country status makes it eligible for GSP+ only until 2028. A country moves out of the GSP+ programme after three consecutive years in upper-middle-income country status ...