Uzbekistan faces EU trade scheme test as rules reshape export market

The EU and the International Trade Centre (ITC) held an event in Tashkent on Tuesday to discuss how Uzbekistan can make greater use of the EU’s GSP+ trade scheme ahead of new EU rules due to take effect in 2027.

The meeting brought together representatives from Uzbekistan’s government, business associations, international organisations and diplomatic missions, and was organised by the local EU Delegation alongside the ITC, the European External Action Service announced on Wednesday.

It took place alongside a high-level conference in Brussels marking the 25th anniversary of the EU’s “Everything But Arms” arrangement — the part of the EU’s preference system that gives the least developed countries duty-free, quota-free access for all goods except arms and ammunition — and presenting the EU’s new GSP regulation.

Participants in Tashkent followed the Brussels conference by livestream and held a separate discussion focused on Uzbekistan’s experience of using GSP+ preferences.

Uzbekistan became a GSP+ beneficiary in 2021 and recorded a preference utilisation rate of 90% in 2025, compared with an average of 74% across countries.

Exports from Uzbekistan that made use of GSP+ preferences rose almost fivefold compared with 2021 and reached €448 million in 2024, Renata Wróbel, Chargée d’Affaires a.i. at the EU Delegation to Uzbekistan, said.

New rules from 2027 and a deadline for 2028

The Tashkent discussions drew on early results from an EU-funded project being implemented by the ITC since January 2026, which includes a trade policy study on Uzbekistan’s use of the GSP+ scheme, the Delegation said.

The study examines patterns in how preferences are used, challenges for Uzbek exports entering the EU market and policy options, and it focuses on five sectors with export potential: fertilisers, minerals, mechanical machinery, textiles, and fruit and vegetables.

Participants were also introduced to a business guide on exporting from Uzbekistan to the EU using GSP+, designed as a practical resource explaining the preferential access available and the relevant export requirements in Uzbekistan and the EU.

Under GSP+ — a scheme that offers enhanced tariff preferences to eligible developing countries — Uzbekistan has duty-free access to the EU market for around two-thirds of EU tariff lines, covering a wide range of products.

The EU adopted a new GSP regulation in June 2026, which will apply from 1 January 2027 until the end of 2036.

Current GSP+ beneficiaries including Uzbekistan will have a two-year transition period in 2027 and 2028.

Countries seeking to continue receiving GSP+ preferences from 1 January 2029 will need to submit a request before 31 December 2028.