Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Monday chaired a high-level inter-ministerial meeting to review measures aimed at strengthening Pakistan’s economic and trade cooperation with the European Union (EU).
According to a post shared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on X, the deputy prime minister underscored the importance of expanding trade and economic ties with the EU, noting that the bloc remains a key economic partner for Pakistan, particularly under the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP-Plus) framework.
Dar highlighted that Pakistan has completed four biennial GSP-Plus reviews and reaffirmed the country’s commitment to fully meeting its obligations under the scheme in order to expand mutually beneficial trade opportunities with the EU.
GSP-Plus is a trade initiative by the EU that allows developing countries to export goods to the region with reduced or zero tariffs, making their products more competitive in European markets.
Under the enhanced GSP-Plus scheme, countries that implement international conventions on human rights, labour rights, environmental protection, and good governance receive additional benefits, including duty-free access for most exports.
The GSP-Plus status has especially benefited Pakistan’s key export sectors in textiles, leather goods, and surgical instruments, which contribute significantly to the country’s foreign exchange earnings.
The meeting was attended by federal minister for law and justice, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Bajwa, Secretary Foreign Affairs Ambassador Amna Baloch, and the secretaries of commerce, interior, overseas Pakistanis and human rights.
Pakistan’s ambassador to the EU and senior officials from relevant federal and provincial departments were also present.
At the meeting with the EU’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Raimundas Karoblis, in Jan, 2026, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to working closely with the EU on initiatives to enhance trade, particularly under the GSP-Plus framework.
The country was granted the GSP-Plus status by the EU in 2014, resulting in a 108 per cent increase in Pakistani textile exports to the EU due to concessional tariffs.
In October 2023, the European Parliament unanimously voted to extend the GSP-Plus status for another four years until 2027 for developing countries, including Pakistan.
