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Amar Breckenridge, Senior Economist at Frontier Economics (Europe), addressed a Foreign Policy Round Table on 3 January 2018, where he spoke on “The​ ​Progress​ ​of​ ​Brexit:​ ​Implications​ ​for​ ​Sri​ ​Lanka​ ​and​ ​the​ Region” at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute (LKI).

Mr. Breckenridge’s presentation highlighted that while Sri Lanka’s exports currently benefit from preferential access to the UK and the rest of the EU through GSP+, it is uncertain whether the UK will establish a similar GSP model post-Brexit. He further emphasised that Sri Lanka must look beyond preferential tariffs, which are likely to be temporary, and focus on domestic reforms to enhance competitiveness and strengthen trading relations with the UK.

The round table was attended by Mrs. Grace Asirwatham, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sri Lanka; as well as representatives from the British High Commission, US Embassy, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Representatives from the private sector, think tanks and universities were also present.

The roundtable was moderated by Dr. Dinusha Panditaratne, Executive Director of LKI, and Adam Collins, Research Fellow of LKI’s Global Economy Programme was a discussant.

Click here for the key takeaways of the round table.