EU Asked to Increase Imports

Khmer Times
Taing Vida

Members of both the CPP and CNRP attend a discussion on EU funding and a review of the government’s budget. National Assembly

The National Assembly’s (NA) Second Commission on Economics, Finance, Banking and Auditing yesterday asked the European Union (EU) to increase rice and clothing import quotas from Cambodia, after a discussion on EU subsidies to the Kingdom.

After a two-hour meeting with EU representative Javier Castillo and his technical working group, Yeam Yeab, chairman of the second commission, told reporters that the EU had questions related to the commission’s structure, the draft budget from each year, the audit report and management.

Refusing to say what the answers to those questions were, Mr. Yeab said he asked Mr. Castillo to boost rice import quotas to the EU from Cambodia. Some varieties of rice from Cambodia recently won awards at events at Shanghai and Hong Kong.

He also asked the EU to increase clothing and shoe imports from Cambodia.

“We also asked the EU to offer additional aid in the technical and financial sector. Cambodia will openly welcome visitors from the EU. We also urge the EU to help promote favorable investment in Cambodia,” he said.

Mr. Yeab added that the EU technical group had promised to consider his requests. He said the EU group did not mention any cuts in aid which opposition leader Sam Rainsy had recently asked for.

During an EU parliamentary meeting on July 13, Mr. Rainsy, the president of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, urged the EU to cut clothing imports from Cambodia in an effort to put economic pressure on the government into respecting human rights and freedom of speech, and only restart the industry after certain conditions had been met.

Mr. Rainsy’s plan was condemned by most garment workers, unions, the Labor Ministry and the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia as irresponsible and something that would affect the economy and tens of thousands of workers across the country.

As criticism of his plan spiraled out of control, Mr. Rainsy tried to explain himself by saying the call to the EU was to pressure the government to provide better jobs and higher wages.

The EU has significantly scaled up its support to the Kingdom with up to €410 million ($455 million) under the Multi-Annual Indicative Program 2014-2020. Meanwhile, bilateral trade and investment relations have considerably increased, with exports to the EU reaching a record figure of more than €4 billion in 2015.

The EU is now the primary destination for Cambodian exports.

Last month the EU urged the Cambodian government to create and maintain an environment in which all political parties and civil society can operate freely and without fear and called for the release of recently arrested civil society representatives.