Aik News:A report on Pakistan’s performance under the European Union’s GSP+ framework presents the country as a major beneficiary of the trade arrangement, highlighting strong export performance, continued institutional engagement and progress across human rights, labour, governance and environmental reforms.

The report states that Pakistan remains the largest beneficiary of the EU’s GSP+ scheme, with the arrangement continuing to generate measurable gains for exports, employment and industrial production.

According to the report, Pakistani exports worth EUR 7.482 billion were eligible for GSP+ preferences in 2024, while EUR 7.115 billion successfully utilised the facility. This resulted in a 95.1% preference utilisation rate, indicating that Pakistani exporters made effective use of the scheme.

The European Union remained Pakistan’s principal export market, accounting for 28% of the country’s total exports, reaffirming the strategic importance of trade relations between Pakistan and the EU.

The report estimates that Pakistan secured EUR 732 million in tariff exemptions during 2024, equivalent to approximately 9% of the country’s export value to the EU, providing direct commercial relief to exporters.

It notes that the country’s five leading export sectors recorded preference-utilisation rates ranging from 93.6% to 97.7%. Clothing, textiles, leather, prepared foods and miscellaneous manufactures continued to support labour-intensive production and employment.

The report also recognises Pakistan’s continued commitment to all 27 international conventions linked to the GSP+ framework. It states that Pakistan maintained all ratifications, entered no new reservations and remained largely compliant with reporting requirements.

Pakistan’s participation in the EU monitoring mission conducted in November and December 2025 is cited as reflecting continued transparency, institutional engagement and cooperation with international partners.

The report acknowledges developments in human rights and justice institutions, noting that the National Commission for Human Rights received GANHRI A-status accreditation in 2024, while commissions working on children’s and women’s rights remained active.

It also highlights progress in prison reforms, implementation of anti-torture measures, judicial training and efforts to reduce the backlog of appeals before the Supreme Court as indicators of continuing institutional improvement.

The report further notes Pakistan’s removal of four offences from the scope of capital punishment, the absence of executions since December 2019 and the exercise of presidential clemency in October 2025.

On women’s and children’s rights, the report highlights the completion of domestic-violence legislation across all provinces and Islamabad, the first marital-rape conviction in Sindh and child-marriage reforms adopted in several jurisdictions.

It says Pakistan’s social-protection system has expanded considerably over the past decade. The National Education Emergency Action Plan, teacher recruitment, school reopening and an enrolment drive for 25,000 to 30,000 children in Islamabad are cited as developments in the education sector.

The report also identifies labour reforms as a positive area, noting that Pakistan ratified the ILO Protocol to the Forced Labour Convention in March 2025, established district vigilance committees and adopted child-labour action plans across all provinces and territories.

It further highlights the gender pay-gap study, the national wage-reform action plan and the roadmap for formalising SMEs and workers as signs that labour-market reforms are moving from legislation towards implementation.

In the environmental sector, the report notes that Pakistan fulfilled key reporting obligations under the UNFCCC and other international environmental agreements, ratified the Kigali Amendment, and introduced updated frameworks on climate, clean air, biodiversity and hazardous waste.

The report also notes Pakistan’s upgrade to CITES Category 1, describing it as confirmation that the country’s national legislation meets Convention standards.

Governance reforms recognised in the report include completion of the second-cycle UNCAC implementation review, strengthened pharmaceutical controls, improved narcotics legislation and the introduction of digital case-management mechanisms.

The report also notes that the European Union has committed EUR 400 million for the 2021–2027 period to support green growth, human capital, governance, education, climate resilience, the rule of law, skills development and women’s participation in Pakistan.