EU envoy says renewal from 2029 hinges on Pakistan’s human rights record and implementation of UN conventions….reports Asian Lite News Desk
Pakistan’s continued access to the European Union’s preferential GSP+ trade scheme beyond 2029 is neither certain nor guaranteed and will depend on its implementation of key United Nations conventions, according to the EU Ambassador to Pakistan, Raimundas Karoblis.
The envoy said Pakistan’s eligibility under the next phase of the scheme would be assessed not merely on whether it has ratified international conventions, but on how effectively it implements them on the ground, according to a report by Voicepk.net.
Under the new GSP+ framework, the number of international conventions linked to eligibility is set to rise from the current 27 to 32, placing greater emphasis on human rights, labour standards, environmental protection and good governance.
Karoblis said Pakistan would need to submit a detailed action plan outlining concrete steps to improve implementation of the relevant UN conventions, along with clear timelines and measurable performance indicators.
“Implementation is really important,” he said, stressing that formal legal commitments alone would not be sufficient.
Pakistan has benefited from preferential access to the EU market under the GSP+ scheme since 2014 after ratifying the 27 core international conventions required under the current framework.
The country is among the largest beneficiaries of the scheme in terms of imports, with tariff exemptions estimated at around 732 million euros. Pakistan’s textile industry is among the sectors that benefit most from preferential access to the European market.
While acknowledging some progress in Pakistan’s implementation of UN conventions over the past two years, Karoblis said concerns remained over several areas of human rights.
He identified enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, freedom of expression, the rights of journalists and minority rights as key areas requiring greater attention, noting that progress in some areas had also regressed.
The ambassador warned that failure to secure renewed GSP+ status would not necessarily mean a complete loss of preferential access to the EU market.
Pakistan could instead revert to the ordinary GSP scheme, under which it would continue receiving some tariff concessions, although the benefits would be less favourable than those offered under GSP+.
Under the ordinary GSP arrangement, tariffs would remain roughly 30 per cent lower than standard rates applied to countries such as China and the United States, but would be higher than those currently available to Pakistan under the GSP+ scheme.
The future of Pakistan’s preferential trade access to the EU will therefore depend heavily on whether Islamabad can demonstrate concrete progress in implementing international commitments, particularly in areas concerning human rights and governance.
