Press Release: EU approves ‘Everything But Arms’ trade access for Least Developed Countries

The European Union approved on 27 February 2001 the European Commission's groundbreaking proposal to eliminate quotas and duties on all products except arms from the world's 48 poorest countries in the world. The Council of the European Union, meeting in Brussels, agreed to the plan which will make the EU the world's first major trading power to commit itself to opening its market fully to the world's poorest countries.