Pak-EU ties make significant strides since grant of GSP
Wire desk byline Sourced from Xinhua, Dawn, Arab News, Anadolu and Minute Mirror. Translated and abridged by the GSRRA Desk.
Pakistan and the European Union (EU) have acknowledged that since the grant of GSP status in 2014, the bilateral trade and economic relations have made significant strides.
The EU reiterated its position on the abolishment of death penalty and emphasised the need to pursue the reform process of the mercy petition.
Foreign Office (FO) issued the joint statement on Friday after the 14th Pakistan-EU Joint Commission meetings held in Islamabad.
The EU is Pakistan’s second-largest trading partner, with the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) arrangement contributing significantly to the growth of bilateral trade. Both sides acknowledged the importance of a robust multilateral trading system and exchanged views on recent developments at the multilateral (WTO), pluri-lateral, and bilateral levels.
The Pakistan-EU bilateral trade relations were discussed at length, covering a wide range of topics including market access challenges for both sides. Among other areas of specific interest, cooperation on the implementation of the GSP+ was prominent.
The Joint Commission was co-chaired by Dr Kazim Niaz, secretary Ministry of Economic Affairs of Pakistan and Paola Pampaloni, deputy managing director for Asia and the Pacific in the European External Action Service.
The discussions took stock of recent political developments, including electoral processes in both Pakistan and European Parliament.
Pakistan and the EU recognised the importance of their cooperation and sustained engagement, particularly in areas such as trade, migration, human rights, political, economic and development cooperation with a focus on the Global Gateway strategy.
Both sides agreed to continue cooperation on emerging challenges of food, energy security, and climate change.
The two sides reviewed the post-elections political developments in Pakistan and the EU. They agreed on the need for continued efforts to strengthen the electoral process. The EU reiterated the importance of political pluralism, democratic values, independent media, vibrant civil society, judicial independence, and international human rights standards, which are key for democratic elections.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to the protection of all human rights, including women and children’s rights, labour and migrant rights, as well as fundamental freedoms, such as freedom of expression and opinion including growing problem of disinformation.
Pakistan presented its reform agenda, including in the framework of the National Action Plan on Human Rights, National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights, as well as actions towards the full implementation of 27 international conventions related to GSP+. Pakistan and the EU also exchanged views on freedom of religion or belief and the rights of persons belonging to minorities and vulnerable groups and concerns about anti-Muslim hatred. Both sides reiterated the importance of continued dialogue on these shared concerns.
The EU remains committed to providing information on its upcoming legislative developments to facilitate Pakistan’s compliance with EU’s regulatory framework. Pakistan and the EU reiterated the importance of continued collaboration to promote sustainable growth and trade development.
Pakistan welcomed the EU’s continuous support to Pakistan’s Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Framework (4RF), in a Team Europe approach.
The EU presented the details of the projects for the period 2025-2027 following the Mid-Term Review of the MIP and updated on the EU’s policy framework and the Global Gateway.
Pakistan appreciated the recent visit of the European Investment Bank in Pakistan held in September 2024 and agreed on the opportunity to enhance engagement within the framework of the Global Gateway by identifying new investments.
Reference Link:- https://www.brecorder.com/news/40337539/pak-eu-ties-make-significant-strides-since-grant-of-gsp
Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…
