Uzbekistan filed an official application for the beneficiary status of the European Union’s General System of Preferences Plus (GSP +), the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade (MIFT) said.

“Uzbekistan’s obtaining this status will help significantly increase the volume of exports to the EU and increase the competitiveness of Uzbke goods in the European market, the ministry noted.

Now Uzbekistan is benefiting from the basic General System of Preferences (GSP), and can export about 3,000 goods to the EU countries without customs duties and 3,200 items at reduced rates.

If Uzbekistan obtains unilateral tariff preferences under the GSP +, then the number of items that Uzbek producers can export to the European Union will increase to 6200.

According to the requirements of the EU, in order to obtain GSP + preferences, the country must meet certain conditions, including ratify and effectively implement 27 international conventions, including 16 in the field of human rights and basic labor standards and 11 in the field of environmental protection and good governance.

The MIFT together with the relevant ministries and departments have reportedly completed all these conditions. In particular, Uzbekistan has joined all of the required 27 international conventions, and with detailed answers to the questionnaire submitted by EU bodies prepared and sent to assess the country's implementation of obligations undertaken under ratified conventions. In April and May, a series of meetings in the form of video conferences with EU officials and experts was also held.