The European Union has officially made the Sri Lankan government aware of its opposition to the use of the death penalty in all circumstances and has encouraged Sri Lanka to maintain its moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty.

The matter was discussed when the European Union (EU) and Sri Lanka held their 22nd meeting of the Joint Commission in Brussels yesterday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. 

"Sri Lanka reaffirmed the commitments made to implement 27 conventions on human and labour rights, environment and good governance in order to benefit from the GSP+ scheme. In this context, while acknowledging that the new draft legislation was now being considered by Parliament, the EU reiterated the need to repeal and replace the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) in order to bring counterterrorism legislation in line with international standards," the Foreign Ministry also added. 

The Ministry said discussions also focused on issues related to mobility and migration. Ways to enhance cooperation on higher education, with a particular reference to the Horizon 2020, the EU framework programme for research and innovation, were also discussed.

At the meeting, the EU reiterated its full support for the Government’s efforts to improve governance, human rights and reconciliation, fight against corruption, and strengthen economic growth.

"The EU and Sri Lanka agreed on the importance to continue working closely together on human rights and reconciliation, issues which figured prominently on the agenda of the meeting," the statement added.