The European Union (EU) has said clearly that ongoing political developments in Cambodia are a significant step away from the path of pluralism and democracy enshrined in Cambodia's constitution and supported over more than two decades by Cambodia's international partners including the EU. The enforced dissolution of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) effectively disenfranchises all those who gave the party their support in the elections in 2013 and 2017 and will undermine the credibility of the forthcoming legislative elections.

The EU is currently assessing the situation in terms of development cooperation assistance, which should be considered on a case-by-case basis to avoid jeopardising ongoing reforms and to preserve the significant progress made over decades on Cambodia's social development goals, as suspension of aid could be detrimental to the population.

In this regard, the EU has decided to suspend its support to the National Election Committee (NEC) while continuing assistance to non-governmental organisations on human rights and elections monitoring. The decision was announced publicly on 12 December 2017.

The respect for fundamental human rights and labour rights underpins the legal basis of our trade preferences. The Commission, in cooperation with the European External Action Service, is monitoring the situation in Cambodia in order to see whether the conditions for taking measures under Article 19 of Regulation (EU) 978/2012 are fulfilled.