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BRUSSELS: The European Commission has decided to maintain the Generalized Preferential System Plus (GSP-Plus) status of Pakistan.
In a statement, the European Commission said it has introduced six new conventions for Pakistan related to providing facility to people with physical disability, enviornmental safety, and child labour.
Furthermore, it has also introduced new GSP rules in order to facilitate the low-income countries. “In the latest review, Pakistan’s individual status was not discussed,” it said, adding that the discussion revolved around “new conditions” in GSP Plus, which include the six new aforementioned conventions.
It was observed that Pakistan has made considerable progress when it comes to labour laws and tackling climate change — two important conditions for the Commission to grant or extend a GSP Plus status. The continuation of Pakistan’s GSP Plus status will provide a major boost to an economic decline that had begun in 2017.
The announcement has ended uncertainty emerged after the EU Parliament adopted a resolution calling for a review of the Pakistan’s GSP+ status in view of a surge in the use of blasphemy accusations in the country as well as rising number of attacks on journalists and civil society organisations in May this year.
The resolution also urged Pakistani government to “unequivocally condemn” incitement to violence and discrimination against religions minorities in the country.
It also expressed concerns over prevailing anti-French sentiment in the country. Pakistan had expressed disappointment at the adoption of a resolution at the EU Parliament.
In March 2020, the EU extended Pakistan’s GSP plus status till 2022. Pakistan had ratified and signed 27 conventions prior to getting the GSP Plus back in 2014 and a compliance report is released periodically, reviewing progress on the desired objectives.
Advisor to Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood said in August there are no threats to Pakistan’s current GSP Plus status and “no one should be worried about it”.
The concerns of a possible suspension of the status remained after European Union’s Ambassador to Pakistan Androulla Kaminara said earlier this month that the protection of human rights, press freedom and enforced disappearances in Pakistan were some of the union’s major concerns.
