New Delhi, June 12 (IANS) Pakistan was granted access to the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) on January 1, 2014, and the country was able to double its exports to the EU, with around 66 per cent exempt from European import duties.
However, Islamabad has failed to meet the essential condition on human rights progress that it was expected to fulfil in return for enjoying this huge economic benefit, according to an article published by 9DASHLINE.com platform.
Despite persistent human rights violations, the EU has yet to revoke or temporarily suspend Pakistan’s GSP+ status, the article by Eve Register points out.
Although the European Parliament has been calling for a reassessment of Pakistan’s GSP+ status since 2021, European Commission representatives concluded that they were satisfied with Pakistan’s progress. This highlights a divide within the EU over whether Pakistan’s strategic importance takes precedence over maintaining the integrity of the GSP+ framework, the article observes.
It points out that in theory, the European Commission’s upholding of Pakistan’s status is driven by the expectation that Islamabad adheres to human rights reform, alongside the belief that economic prosperity from increased trade fosters greater social progress.
In reality, however, the EU considers Pakistan a strategic partner embedded within a turbulent region, whose cooperation could help the EU manage a range of security threats, particularly in counter-terrorism and counter-narcotics trafficking.
This strategy has led to the selective enforcement of GSP+ conditions in Pakistan’s case, which threatens to undermine the purpose of the scheme and the deals made with other GSP+ beneficiaries, the article observes.
It further highlights that while Pakistan has ratified several reforms and established new entities to improve human rights, it is the implementation of reform that is central to the GSP+ deal. Most reports, however, indicate that human rights conditions have deteriorated rather than improved in the country since obtaining GSP+ status.
“The EU’s reluctance to apply further pressure by leveraging Pakistan’s GSP+ status suggests an ulterior motive — preserving its security partnership with Islamabad,” the article added.
–IANS
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