EU: Pakistan must implement minority, women rights protection acts to continue GSP+ status

The European Parliament Vice President Heidi Hautala has said that the  European Union (EU)would like to see a bit more rapid implementation of the laws by Pakistan in order to continue Islamabad’s Generalised Scheme of Preference Plus (GSP+) status. It is to mention that in the past six months, the EU Parliament has passed two resolutions to review Pakistan’s GSP Plus status, which will expire in 2023, if not withdrawn earlier. Hautala said that the EU wants Pakistan to rapidly implement anti-torture law along with minority, women rights protection acts in a bid to continue its status. 

In an interview with The Express Tribune, Hautala emphasised that the two resolutions were a “signal” to the Imran Khan-led government that there was no guarantee that the GSP Plus scheme would continue. She said that the continuation depends upon the further implementation of the UN conventions. Further, underlining that the abuse of blasphemy law and protection of civic rights sparked the EU parliament resolutions, the European Parliament Vice President said that the 27 UN conventions oblige Islamabad to respect minority rights. 

European Commission Monitoring Mission in Pakistan

The term of the current scheme expires on December 31, 2023, and a new plan will come to the fore. It is to mention that Pakistan had won the GSP Plus status in 2014. Now, Hautala has reportedly said that very soon there will be a European Commission Monitoring Mission in Pakistan, which will have a long list of questions to be asked from the government about the implementation of certain laws. 

It should be noted here that the EU's GSP is a well-established trade and development policy tool that has been in effect since 1971. According to ANI, Pakistan is the largest beneficiary of the current GSP Plus scheme since 2014. Under the current regulation, Pakistan has a 0% duty on several hundred products. It is worth mentioning here that in order to profit from the GSP plus incentives, lower-middle-income nations must comply with 27 international treaties (32 in the new proposal) related to human rights, labour rights, environmental and climate protection, and good governance, reported Dawn. 

(With inputs from ANI)