The European Union has reiterated its hope that Cambodia will strengthen human rights and civil liberties, including press freedom, during a meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet.
The EU delegation in Cambodia wrote on its official Facebook page that the message was conveyed during talks between Prime Minister Hun Manet and European Council President Antonio Costa, held on June 10 on the sidelines of the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice.
The EU stated that it remains firmly committed to Cambodia’s development but underlined that this progress should go hand-in-hand with broader freedoms for civil society and the independent media.
In their meeting, President Costa reaffirmed the EU’s role as a strong partner for Cambodia and praised the country’s economic growth and ongoing reforms. At the same time, he expressed hopes for further improvements in human rights and democratic space.
Khun Tharo, Programme Manager at the Center for Alliance of Labour and Human Rights (CENTRAL), told The Cambodia Daily that while the United States remains Cambodia’s largest export market, currently engaged in trade negotiations that include tariff reviews, the European Union is Cambodia’s second-largest destination for exports.
He added that regaining full access to the EU market, including the reinstatement of the 20 percent of tariff preferences suspended under the “Everything But Arms” (EBA) scheme, will require improved diplomatic engagement. This includes tangible progress on human rights and democratic reforms, which the EU has repeatedly called for.
The European Union recently released its 2024 report on human rights and democracy in Cambodia. It found that during Prime Minister Hun Manet’s first year in office, there had been no notable improvement in fundamental freedoms or political rights, with the country continuing to impose restrictions similar to those seen in previous years.
The 20 percent suspension of EBA trade preferences in 2020 was similarly imposed after the EU found that Cambodia had failed to uphold its human rights commitments and democratic principles.
Meanwhile, Cambodia’s garment exports to the United States have sharply increased in the first five months of 2025, reaching a value of 4.35 billion US dollars. Observers believe the rise may be driven by concerns over potential tariff hikes from Washington.
Exports to the European Union also rose by 23 percent in the first four months of this year. However, fuel imports into Cambodia dropped by nearly 13 percent during the same period, compared with the previous year.
In 2023, Cambodia imported refined fuel worth 1.7 billion dollars from Thailand, 672 million dollars from Vietnam, and 530 million dollars from Singapore.
At the same time, Cambodian migrant workers in Thailand have begun returning home, amid heightened tensions along the two countries’ border. Cambodia risks losing significant remittance income from these workers, who collectively send home nearly 3 billion dollars annually. These remittances are considered a critical part of the country’s gross national product.
The World Bank forecasts that Cambodia’s economic growth will slow to 4 percent this year, with only a modest rise to 4.5 percent expected in 2026.
