Brussels, May 5 (AFP) European Union trade chiefs are planning to strip away special export advantages granted to China, India, Indonesia and scores of other fast-growing economies, an EU source said today.

In total, more than 80 emerging economic players also including the likes of Morocco would lose from 2014 benefits gained under a special regime when exporting to Europe's single market of half a billion consumers, 20 million companies and major state buyers.

The European Commission is discussing a plan to prune radically "to around 90 countries" its existing list of General System of Preferences (GSP) beneficiaries, which currently numbers 176 territories "not classified by the World Bank as high-income countries and which are not sufficiently diversified in their exports."

Thousands of products enter the EU single market either duty-free or at reduced rates under the scheme, which dates back to the beginning of the 1970s.