Home »Top Stories » GSP Plus status: government may seek support for continuation

  • News Desk
  • Jul 17th, 2017
  • Comments Off on GSP Plus status: government may seek support for continuation
The government is likely to actively engage with the Members of European Parliament (MEPs) and the governments of the EU member states to seek their support for continuation of GSP plus status for Pakistan, well informed sources told Business Recorder. The second biennial review of the GSP plus scheme for Pakistan is currently underway and the review report would be submitted in January 2018. The European Parliament and Council have key roles in GSP plus review process.

The EU accounts for 20% of Pakistani external trade with Pakistani exports to the EU amounting to $3.4 billion, mainly textiles, medical equipment and leather products, and EU exports to Pakistan amount to $3.8 billion and consist mainly of mechanical and electrical equipment, and chemical and pharmaceutical products. "Assessment of implementation on 27 core Conventions by the EU Commission is underway which will be submitted to the EU Parliament in January 2018. GoP has to implement the Conventions, the only strategy that can work," the sources added.

However, there is fear that implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP) and its fallout on human rights can create problems, the sources continued. Pakistan, sources said, faces tough opposition from the Southern block EU countries and some of them voted against giving Pakistan the GSP Plus in the EU Parliament. An official, who is well versed with the EU''s GSP plus affairs, told this scribe that from Pakistan''s perspective, the EU member states may be divided into five broad and sometimes overlapping categories according to their approach towards Pakistan''s GSP plus status. The first category is a group of eight countries namely Romania, Poland, Spain, France, Italy, Bulgaria, Portugal and Greece who did not support the grant of GSP plus scheme for Pakistan in 2013. These countries'' feared competition from Pakistan and were therefore supporting protectionism.

Greece, in addition to their protectionist approach is increasingly linking its support for GSP plus with the issue of illegal migration from Pakistan. The demands for full implementation of EURA are, therefore, the strongest from Greece. "Although Pakistan has made huge progress in the implementation of EURA which is duly recognized by the EU, however Greece, France, Italy and Spain continue to raise concerns regarding this issue," the official said, adding that migration especially illegal migration, has become an existential threat for the EU. According to the official, Ministry of Foreign Affairs maintains that the government should engage proactively with the European External Action Service, DG Trade Office of the Commission and DG Development Cooperation (DEVCO) and strengthen its hands by providing all the required information and inputs envisaged under the GSP plus scheme.

Last year, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had restructured Treaty Implementation Cell (TIC) to improve compliance of 27 UN Conventions signed by Pakistan. Attorney General of Pakistan Ashtar Ausaf Ali is the Convenor of TIC, the purpose of which is to help Pakistan co-ordinate with international partners working in the areas of human and labour rights.



the author

Top
Close
Close