FO expresses 'disappointment' over EU GSP+ report, says it fails to present 'balanced picture of progress'

Says the GSP+ scheme remained central to Pakistan's economic relationship with the European Union

Pakistan on Thursday expressed "disappointment" over the European Union’s latest GSP+ assessment, saying the report failed to present a balanced picture of the country’s progress.

"I would be remiss if I do not express disappointment with the assessment and the report's overall narrative, which does not present a sufficiently balanced picture of Pakistan's performance under GSP+," Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said during his weekly press briefing.

Andrabi said the assessment covered 60 beneficiary countries and included an individual report on Pakistan, describing it as "the final monitoring report under the current GSP+ framework on Pakistan’s compliance with the 27 international conventions."

"So it's the final report, the last of such series," he said.

The spokesperson said Pakistan appreciated the report’s acknowledgement of "Pakistan's legislative progress during the reporting period and the country's continued compliance with the 27 international conventions."

However, he added that despite recognising "the breadth of reforms undertaken since Pakistan joined the GSP+ in 2014", the report placed "disproportionate emphasis on the lower than desirable level of progress in certain areas."

Andrabi said the GSP+ scheme remained central to Pakistan’s economic relationship with the European Union, "supporting exports, employment, women's economic participation, poverty reduction and broader economic development."

"It is a mutually beneficial arrangement in that respect," he said.

He added that Pakistan’s engagement with the European Union extended beyond GSP+ to areas including "development, migration, counter-terrorism, regional stability, climate resilience, connectivity and many other areas."

"We will remain constructively engaged with the European Commission and other EU institutions and remain committed to the effective implementation of international conventions underpinning the GSP framework," Andrabi said.

 

The story is being updated...