About 90,000 Cambodian apparel and textile workers could be out of a job if the proposed trade sanctions by the European Union cause fashion brands to source elsewhere, fear workers’ rights groups. Currently, Cambodia profits from the “Everything but Arms” (EBA) scheme established in 2001 that gives 49 of the world’s poorest countries duty-free access to EU markets as part of the EU’s wider Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP). However, the EU announced on 11th February of this year that Cambodia could lose its status over violation of EU standards in fundamental areas, such as the tough political course taken by Prime Minister Hun Sen, which is setting the country on the road to becoming a one-party state, but also the widespread corruption.
