The EU's generalised trade preferences (GSP) list should be updated according the Commission's plans, says MEPs at the Committee on International Trade. In addition, MEPs also agrees in introducing safeguards to prevent textile imports from disrupting the EU market. Since 1971, the Generalised Scheme of Tariff Preferences (GSP) grants trade preferences, such as zero or reduced tariffs, for developing countries' exports to the EU, so as to help them reduce poverty and promote sustainable development and good governance.

The International Trade Committee at the European Parliament voted backing the European Commission's proposal to update the EU's generalised trade preferences (GSP) list. According to the MEPs, high and upper-middle income countries should be taken off of such list in order to reflect recent shifts in world trade patterns. The preferences that will be removed for EU imports from countries on the World Bank's high or upper middle per capita income list (including Russia, Brazil, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar). Council Regulation on the scheme of generalised tariff preferences for the period 2009-2011 entered into force in August 2008.

In particular the changes would reduce the number of countries that enjoy preferential access to EU markets from 176 to about 80. Imports qualifying for preferences would be reduced from €60 billion in 2009 (4% of total EU imports) to about €37.7 billion. Moreover, the committee also voted to extend the range of products covered by the GSP to include some raw metals (aluminium oxide, lead, cadmium and others), that are of particular value to countries (most in Africa) that would remain in the GSP scheme.

On the other hand, MEPs also amended the proposals to stiffen safeguards to protect the EU textile and clothing industries against very low-cost imports from third countries. Tariff preferences for these products would be removed if EU imports grew by 12.5% in a year (down from the Commission's proposal of 15%), or if imports of specific products exceed 6% of total EU imports (down from the Commission proposal of 8%).