Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday lauded the benefits to the country’s trade from the Generalised System of Preferences-Plus (GSP-Plus) extended status. The premier reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to the 27 International Conventions that have been laid out to qualify for the GSP-Plus status.
In March 2020, the International Trade Committee of the European Union (EU) Parliament extended Pakistan’s GSP-Plus status, allowing the country to continue benefiting from preferential duties on exports for another two years.
While Pakistan has enjoyed the GSP-Plus status since January 2014, the continuation comes in light of Islamabad’s progress towards the enactment of new laws and the infrastructural development for the implementation of the 27 International Conventions, particularly the National Action Plan for human rights.
The assessment report on compliance with these conventions was published and reviewed by the European Commission and the INTA, respectively, in February. The GSP Working Party of the European Council reviewed it as well soon after, and the EU authorities indicated their satisfaction by granting the extension.
The 27 conventions include civil, political, socio-economic and cultural rights of the people, as well as prohibitive rules against torture, inhumane punishments, labour violations, and discrimination, among others.
