The ban on Sri Lankan fishing imports into the EU could be removed in a few months, according to MEP Jan Zahradil, Vice-Chair of the EU Committee on International Trade (INTA), who is currently in Colombo.
Mr Zahradil said his visit was aimed at removing "irritants" in trade, and the EU parliamentary group ‘Friends of Sri Lanka’, of which he is a member, wanted to assess how to help Sri Lanka on removing the ban fishery exports and resuming the GSP plus export scheme which the island lost owing to human rights issues.
"Once monthly progress reports are sent to the European Commission we could try to put this on the agenda as a special point and can help solve this issue as soon as possible, perhaps in a horizon of months and not let it last for too long," he said during a meeting Rishad Bathiudeen, Minister of Industry and Commerce of Sri Lanka.
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