Myanmar labour organizations have urged visiting European Union delegates to reconsider the possible withdrawal of trade preferences that allow the developing country tariff-free access to the bloc, under threat from Brussels in response to the 2017 military campaign in Rakhine State, RFA reported.

The EU delegation met with representatives from the Confederation of Trade Unions in Myanmar (CTUM), the Myanmar Infrastructure, Craft and Service (MICS) organizations, and the Agriculture and Farmers Federation of Myanmar (AFFM) in the commercial hub Yangon to discuss the preferential trade arrangement.

The EU dispatched the high-level mission comprised of the European Commission’s trade arm and the EU’s diplomatic service to Myanmar to investigate human rights violations in Rakhine state, as well as possible labour rights violations.

The delegation arrived in Myanmar on Oct. 28 and began its work on the ground on Monday.