Despite extensive lobbying and appeals by various Cambodian trade bodies, including the Cambodian Footwear Association (CFA) and the Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia (GMAC), the EU did not change its decision announced in February after a year-long review.
The review was initiated in 2018 after Cambodia’s main opposition party was banned and its leader Kem Sokha was charged with treason. GMAC last month asked the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to endorse its appeal, already conveyed in early June to the EU, to postpone EBA withdrawal by a year.
As a last-ditch effort, CFA early this month appealed to the European Commission to take into account the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and postpone the implementation of the decision. Even the European Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia (EuroCham) and the European Branded Clothing Alliance had earlier appealed to the EU to repeal the decision.
