By Sama Marwan,
The European Union and Pakistan held discussions on Friday to explore ways to strengthen their bilateral relations across various fields, as well as recent developments in human rights issues and efforts to promote the rule of law.
According to a press release published by the European External Action Service on its official website, EU Special Representative for Human Rights, Ambassador Olof Skoog, visited Pakistan for a week. The visit aimed to engage Pakistan on pressing human rights and labor rights issues and to discuss the country’s plans to address them, particularly in light of the ongoing evaluation under the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+).
During his visit, Skoog held meetings with federal and regional government ministers, military leadership, senior officials, UN bodies, human rights defenders, lawyers, civil society organizations, media representatives, and business sector figures. The special representative reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to supporting Pakistan in fulfilling its human rights obligations and encouraged continuous efforts and meaningful consultations with all stakeholders, including Pakistan’s active civil society, according to the statement.
The statement also emphasized that “Pakistan remains a key partner for the European Union in South Asia, with our relationship based on shared values of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, guided by the principles of the UN Charter and international standards.” The EU welcomed the fact that Pakistan has become the largest beneficiary of the GSP+ scheme, with Pakistani businesses increasing their exports to the EU market by 108% since the trade system was launched in 2014.
The Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) is a preferential tariff system that provides tariff reductions on various products. The GSP concept differs significantly from the Most Favored Nation (MFN) principle. While MFN ensures equal treatment when a country imposes tariffs, GSP allows differential tariffs based on factors such as whether a country is developed or developing. Both principles fall under the jurisdiction of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The GSP framework offers tariff reductions for less developed countries, whereas the MFN rule primarily ensures non-discrimination among WTO member states.
