EU pressure mounts to amend Online Act
The Government is ready to introduce an amendment to the Online Safety Act, No. 9 of 2024, framework legislation which was passed in Parliament by the previous regime bypassing vigorous objections from civil society organisations, civil society activists, media associations and opposition parties.
In its latest report of the 2024 Presidential Election, the European Union Election Observation Mission also emphasised that the government must pull back on restrictive bills such as the Online Safety Act and the Prevention of Terrorism Act, to ensure freedom of expression.
The removal (in the future) of GSP+ for not adhering to the scheme’s requirements, particularly in areas like human rights, labour standards, environmental protection, and good governance would cause a huge economic losses for Sri Lanka, with potential impacts on exports and employment, especially in the apparel and manufacturing sectors.
“The government is now preoccupied with meeting the demands of the EU, including repealing the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and amending the Online Safety Act,” said Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala. A committee with representatives of Public Security, Health and Justice Ministries has been set up for this purpose. The three ministries will present a collective Cabinet Paper to introduce the changes to the Act, he disclosed.
An EU monitoring mission is to arrive in Sri Lanka in late April 2025 to examine Sri Lanka’s record under the GSP+ programme.
Their visit is part of the periodic review of EU beneficiaries in regards to ensuring that they are meeting the requirements of the scheme, including human rights, labor, environmental protection, freedom of expression and governance.
EU’s GSP+ watch mechanism might influence Sri Lanka’s legislations and policies, even the Online Act if they have implications on matters like freedom of expression or Internet privacy, a high-ranking official of the Department of Commerce revealed.
Following the enactment of the Online Safety Act, several petitions were submitted to the Supreme Court challenging the Act. When the petitions were heard on February 5, Additional Solicitor General Viraj Dayaratne informed the court that the new NPP government had taken a decision to introduce new amendments to the Act.
The Supreme Court bench, keeping in mind that the government was already preparing amendments, postponed hearing the petitions further to June 23, 2025.
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