Uzbekistan Must Reapply for EU GSP+ Preferences by End of 2028

By Ekaterina Larina, Shelf Herald

Uzbekistan must file a new application by 31 December 2028 to keep its duty-free access to the EU market under GSP+ from 1 January 2029. The EU Delegation in Tashkent confirmed the deadline at an event on 4 November, held jointly with the International Trade Centre (ITC).

The new Generalised Scheme of Preferences regulation formally entered into force on 12 July 2026. Its main provisions apply from 1 January 2027 through the end of 2036, with a transition period in 2027–2028 for current beneficiaries.

The stakes are quantifiable. Uzbekistan has used GSP+ since 2021, covering roughly two-thirds of tariff lines with duty-free access. In 2024, exports shipped under the scheme reached €448 million, according to Renata Wrobel, chargée d'affaires of the EU Delegation. Utilisation stood at 90% in 2025 against an average of 74% across GSP+ countries — a strong figure, though it says nothing about whether the volume itself is growing.

What does the new regulation change?

Government, business association and diplomatic representatives in Tashkent received the first results of an ITC study, "Enhancing Uzbekistan's capacity to utilise the EU GSP+ scheme," prepared with EU support and the Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade. It covers five sectors — fertilisers, minerals, electrical and mechanical equipment, textiles, and fruit and vegetables — and examines how preferences are used, what blocks shipments to Europe, and what support exporters need. A separate export guide explaining requirements in both Uzbekistan and the EU was also presented.

Both publications sit within an EU-funded project that ITC begins implementing in January 2026. A study of barriers is welcome; whether it translates into new export flows is a question the document itself cannot answer.

Seven concrete changes follow from the regulation.

• Reapplication is mandatory. Current beneficiaries must reapply during the transition window. Article 51 preserves benefits while an application is under review, but only if filed on time.
• More conventions required. The list grows from 27 to 32: the optional protocol on children in armed conflict, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, ILO conventions No. 81 on labour inspection and No. 144 on tripartite consultations, and the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. The Paris Agreement replaces the Kyoto Protocol. Uzbekistan has joined all of the added agreements; what will be assessed is implementation, not signature.
• An action plan must accompany the application, listing priority measures, indicative timelines and responsible agencies. Once GSP+ status is granted, the plan must be published.
• Migration is now a condition. For the first time, trade preferences are tied to readmission of irregular migrants. The Council of the EU has said insufficient cooperation in accepting a country's own nationals may trigger temporary withdrawal of preferences on all or selected goods.
• Monitoring intensifies. Articles 13–14 set three-year monitoring cycles with at least one country visit per cycle; the previous regulation required Commission reporting every two years. The Single Entry Point complaint mechanism, operating since 2020, is written into the rules — input from NGOs, unions and business can trigger a review and, potentially, withdrawal.
• Suspension grounds widen. Serious and systematic violations of environmental, climate or human-rights obligations can cost a country its preferences. For exceptionally grave violations, an expedited procedure applies — withdrawal takes effect one month after publication.
• EU producers get more protection. The EU simplifies safeguards, expands the ability to suspend agricultural preferences based on import surveillance, and introduces an automatic mechanism for rice: above set volumes, preferences stop and a tariff quota applies the following year.

What stays the same?

The overall list of products covered by preferences does not change. For Uzbek exporters, the near-term task is procedural: a credible application, an action plan that survives public scrutiny, and readiness for monitoring visits that arrive more often than before.

The numbers suggest the scheme is being used, not merely held. Whether €448 million becomes a baseline or a peak depends on commitments Uzbekistan has signed but has not yet had to demonstrate under inspection.