Brussels, 3rd July 2023

The Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry (FESI) expresses deep concerns regarding the breakdown of the negotiations on the Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP). FESI firmly believes that the GSP Regulation is the crown jewel of the EU Trade and Sustainable Development policy. It has proven to help developing countries enter a positive cycle of prosperity by becoming more competitive, reducing poverty, developing their domestic industries, increasing employment, and improving good governance. Free, fair and open trade provides positive conditions for sustainable economic growth and reducing poverty in developing countries[1].

“Failure to ratify the new Regulation and to extend the current scheme will have serious repercussions, undermining the EU trade policy credibility, disrupting longstanding trade relationship with developing countries and introducing significant uncertainty for thousands of EU companies and millions of workers worldwide who heavily rely on the GSP Regulation“, commented Jérôme Pero, FESI Secretary General.

With the current GSP Regulation set to expire on the 31st of December 2023, the eyes of 65 countries worldwide, representing a population exceeding 2 billion people, are anxiously fixed on the EU co-legislators, hoping for a timely agreement as the clock ticks away.

As the situation reaches a critical juncture, FESI urgently calls upon:

• The co-legislators to resume negotiations and do their utmost to overcome the current deadlock; and
• The European Commission to work on a proposal to extend the current scheme by 24 months at the very least – providing ample time for both parties to negotiate effectively without the pressure of an imminent deadline.

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About FESI: The Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry (FESI) is the pre-competitive platform representing the interests of the sporting goods industry in Europe, advancing its members’ priorities and promoting initiatives that benefit the sector, EU citizens and the society as a whole. FESI is the sole stakeholder that provides sporting goods companies with the possibility to leverage their expertise into one steady and coherent voice.

 Contact: Ariane Gatti, FESI Communication Manager / [email protected] /+32 (0)2 762 86 48

About FESI: Founded in 1960 FESI – the Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry represents the interests of approximately 1.800 sporting goods manufacturers (85% of the European market) through its National Sporting Goods Industry Federations and its directly affiliated member companies. 70-75% of FESI’s membership is made up of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises. In total, the European Sporting Goods Industry employs over 700.000 EU citizens and has an annual turnover of some 81 billion euro.

Contact: Ariane Gatti, FESI Senior Communication & Policy Manager / [email protected]  / +32 274 08 94