ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday underscored the importance of the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) as a key framework for mutually beneficial trade between Pakistan and the European Union (EU).
The EU’s GSP+ scheme provides developing countries with preferential access to European markets in return for commitments to sustainable development and good governance. Beneficiary countries are required to implement 27 international conventions related to human rights, labour standards, environmental protection and governance, while the EU grants zero-duty access on more than two-thirds of its tariff lines. Pakistan is currently among eight countries benefiting from the scheme.
According to a post by the Foreign Office on X, Dar chaired a high-level inter-ministerial meeting to review ways to strengthen Pakistan’s economic and trade relations with the EU.
During the meeting, the foreign minister highlighted the need to enhance trade cooperation, explore new avenues for economic engagement and further deepen Pakistan–EU economic ties.
“He emphasised that GSP+ remains a crucial framework for mutually beneficial trade and underlined the need to maximise its potential for Pakistan’s economic growth,” the Foreign Office said.
The meeting was attended by the commerce minister, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Bajwa, Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch, and senior officials from relevant federal and provincial ministries and departments.
A day earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met EU Ambassador to Pakistan Raimundas Karoblis at the Prime Minister’s House in Islamabad. The prime minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to working closely with the EU on trade enhancement initiatives, particularly through the GSP+ preferential trade scheme.
