The European Union has urged Pakistan to prioritise putting existing commitments into practice under the GSP Plus trade scheme, rather than focusing on new legislation. EU Ambassador to Pakistan Raimundas Karoblis made the point at a meeting with the Pakistan Textile Council in Karachi. He said the bloc is not introducing new standards, but it expects clear and demonstrable improvements in areas of concern.
What the EU ambassador said
According to the ambassador, the main areas of concern are human rights and the rule of law. The EU is looking for results that can be seen on the ground, not only changes on paper. The remarks were made to textile industry representatives in Karachi, the country's commercial hub.
Why GSP Plus matters for Pakistan
GSP Plus is a trade arrangement under which the EU grants reduced or zero import duties to eligible developing countries that meet agreed international conventions on matters such as human rights, labour and good governance. Pakistan is one of the countries that benefits from the scheme, and textiles are among its largest exports to Europe. Because the arrangement depends on continued compliance, the ambassador's message signals that the bloc will judge performance, not only the laws in place. No timeline for these improvements was announced at the meeting, and the remarks did not say which measures the EU will examine first.
Aasan alfaaz mein
EU ne Pakistan se kaha hai ke GSP Plus ke tahat naye qanoon se pehle maujood waadon par amal kiya jaye. Yeh baat EU ke ambassador Raimundas Karoblis ne Karachi mein Pakistan Textile Council ke saath meeting mein kahi. EU naye standards nahi la rahi, lekin insani haqooq aur qanoon ki hukmraani mein wazeh behtari chahti hai. Aam logon ke liye abhi koi fori tabdeeli nahi, lekin textile exports par is scheme ka asar hua to kaam aur rozgaar par bhi asar ho sakta hai.
