Pakistan Reaffirms Commitment to EUS GSP+ scheme

Pakistan assured the visiting European Union (EU) Monitoring Mission on Thursday of its total and complete commitment to the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+).

The country was granted GSP+ status by the EU in 2014,resulting in a 108 per cent increase in Pakistani textile exports to the EU due to concessional tariffs.In October 2023, the European Parliament unanimously voted to extend the GSP+ status for another four years until 2027 for developing countries, including Pakistan.

A seven-member EU delegation is currently visiting Karachi as part of the fifth biennial Review of the GSP+ scheme. It is led by Sirgio Baliberia, adviser to the GSP+ Directorate in the Directorate General for Trade. the monitoring mission will scrutinise Pakistan’s record on 27 international conventions tied to the trade scheme. Maintaining GSP+ status is critical for Pakistan to keep export costs low.

A press release issued by the human rights ministry today said Human Rights and Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar welcomed the delegation at its headquarters today.

“Pakistan reaffirmed its strong commitment to the GSP+ framework, emphasising that the Pakistan-EU partnership remains central to governance reforms, institutional strengthening, and enduring advancement. As one of the largest beneficiaries of GSP+, Pakistan highlighted the program’s role in advancing human-rights protections and aligning domestic legislation with international standards,” the press release said.

The delegation was briefed on “important legislative and policy progress” since 2014, including strengthened protective mechanisms for women, children, labour, marginalised groups and people with disabilities.

The Pakistani side reaffirmed its commitment to uphold human rights despite “challenges posed by counter-terrorism and climate change” and institutional advancements were highlighted with the retention of the National Commission for human Rights’ “A” status under the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions and the continued independent functioning of the National Commission on the Rights of Child (NCRC) and the National Commission on the Status of Women.

The delegation was also informed that implementation of the National Action Plans on Human Rights and Business and Human Rights was ongoing at the federal and provincial levels.

It was also briefed on key initiatives promoting…