Notice

UK Generalised Scheme of Preferences: trade arrangement suspension notice

Updated 29 October 2021

This notice was withdrawn on

The UK Generalised Scheme of Preferences (UK GSP) has been replaced by the Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS).

You can find associated guidance and legal notices on our trading with developing nations page.

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-generalised-scheme-of-preferences-trade-arrangement-suspension/uk-generalised-scheme-of-preferences-trade-arrangement-suspension-notice

1. What this notice is about

The Secretary of State is suspending certain countries from receiving preferential rates (‘GSP rates’) of import duty under the UK’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP).

This notice is published by the Secretary for State for International Trade and the legal basis for this notice is regulation 9 of the Trade Preference Scheme (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1438).

This suspension starts at 11pm on 31 December 2020 and ends at 11.59pm on 31 December 2021.

Countries are suspended from receiving GSP rates if they have implemented an alternative trade arrangement with the UK, which provides equivalent or better preferential market access than the GSP.

This ‘trade arrangement suspension’ is applied in certain circumstances to countries in the General Framework or the Enhanced Framework of the UK’s GSP.

2. Suspended countries

The following countries will be suspended from the UK’s GSP:

  • Cameroon
  • Egypt
  • El Salvador
  • Eswatini
  • Georgia
  • Guatemala
  • Honduras
  • Ivory Coast
  • Kosovo
  • Moldova
  • Morocco
  • Nicaragua
  • Occupied Palestinian Territories
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Tunisia
  • Ukraine
  • Zimbabwe

3. Date of suspension

These countries will be suspended from the UK’s GSP from 11pm on 31 December 2020 until 11.59pm on 31 December 2021.

4. Reasons for suspension

These countries are being suspended from the UK’s GSP because:

  • they were not included in the list of beneficiary countries in Annex II or Annex III to the EU GSP on or before the date on which the EU GSP ceased to apply to the UK, because they had implemented a preferential trade arrangement with the EU and therefore no longer qualified to receive GSP rates under the EU GSP
  • the UK has implemented an alternative trade arrangement with these countries

5. Legislation

This notice is published by the Secretary for State for International Trade and the legal basis for this notice is regulation 9 of the Trade Preference Scheme (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1438).

The Customs Tariff (Preferential Trade Arrangements) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1457) gives effect to the relevant UK trade arrangements.

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