(ANI): European Union’s Ambassador to Pakistan Androulla Kaminara has said that Pakistan will have to redouble its efforts, to turn into reality the international conventions it has signed up for, to qualify for Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) plus scheme after the year 2023.
Commenting on Pakistan’s position in the current GSP + scheme and prospects for joining the new scheme, Kaminara said, “In order to maintain the trade preferences under GSP+ beyond 2023, Pakistan will have to redouble its efforts to turn the international conventions it signed up to into reality on the ground,” reported Dawn.
The European Commission has adopted a legislative proposal for 10 years (2024-34) to offer a new European Union Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) to remove or reduce duties on the import of products to promote sustainable development in low-income countries.
Pakistan is the largest beneficiary of the current GSP plus scheme since 2014 -- zero % duty on several hundred products under the current regulation, which will expire on December 31, 2023, and to which the new proposal will become the successor.
The European Parliament and the Council will now discuss the new proposal. Once adopted by them, the new GSP regulation will apply from January 1, 2024. The EU’s GSP is a well-established trade and development policy instrument, which has been in place since 1971. The European Commission in Islamabad released on Friday details of the new legislation on GSP.
Under the current GSP+ system, which will end in 2023, the European Commission is continuously monitoring the progress made by beneficiary countries like Pakistan towards the implementation of 27 international conventions, reported Dawn.
In the last monitoring reports, European Commission expressed concerns over human rights, child labour, torture, media freedom and access to justice, and enforced disappearances amongst others.
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