A joint staff working document published by the EU Council on 16 July 2026 assesses Uzbekistan's compliance with the EU's Special Incentive Arrangement for Sustainable Development and Good Governance (GSP+) for the 2023-2025 period, finding mixed progress and warning that backsliding on civil and political rights could jeopardise its preferential trade status. Uzbekistan has been a GSP+ beneficiary since 2021, and EU imports under the scheme reached EUR 448.2 million in 2024, with a 92.2% utilisation rate. The assessment accompanies a broader Joint Report to the European Parliament and the Council on the Generalised Scheme of Preferences covering 2023-2025.
The document notes positive developments, including cooperation with the UN, advances in social protection and healthcare, the 2024 Law on Violence against Children, the re-establishment of the Labour Inspectorate, the eradication of systemic child and forced labour in the cotton sector, updated UNFCCC and biodiversity targets, and afforestation around the Aral Sea. The EU-Uzbekistan Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA) entered provisional application on 1 March 2026, deepening bilateral ties.
However, the assessment highlights significant negative trends: a worsening civic and media space, restrictions on freedom of association, intimidation and prosecution of dissenting voices, concerns about judicial independence and fair trials, gaps in torture prevention, and a weak Labour Inspection system. These issues represent backsliding on the core human rights conventions that GSP+ beneficiaries must effectively implement.
The document sets out key priorities for continued GSP+ eligibility: ensuring civil society and media space and freedom of association; ensuring protection against torture; adopting anti-discrimination legislation; strengthening labour rights and enforcement; and strengthening anti-corruption bodies and their independence. The bottom line is clear: Uzbekistan risks losing its GSP+ status unless it reverses the backsliding on civil and political rights, particularly media freedom, judicial independence, and torture prevention.
For Uzbek exporters, losing GSP+ preferences would mean losing duty-free access to the EU market, raising costs and reducing competitiveness for sectors such as textiles and agricultural products. For EU importers, particularly in the textile and garment industry, alternative sourcing may be needed if preferences are withdrawn. For Uzbek civil society, the assessment provides external leverage to push for reforms, but the government's response will determine whether conditions improve. For EU policymakers, the assessment reinforces the conditionality mechanism of GSP+, balancing trade benefits with human rights obligations.
The European Commission and the European Parliament will consider the assessment in their oversight of the GSP regulation. The Council may decide to suspend preferences if Uzbekistan fails to address the identified shortcomings. The next regular GSP+ monitoring cycle will review progress within two years.