Human rights minister assures EU mission of commitment to GSP Plus |
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 sustainable development. As one of the largest beneficiaries of GSP , Pakistan highlighted the programme’s role in advancing human-rights........