Pakistan to Reapply for EU GSP+ Benefits Under Revised Rules

Pakistan will have to submit a fresh application to retain its preferential trade access to the European Union under the bloc’s revised Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) framework.

 

Under the new rules, Pakistan will need to commit to 32 international conventions, compared with 27 under the existing arrangement. The revised GSP regulation is scheduled to come into force on January 1, 2027.

 

An EU spokesperson said Pakistan would continue to benefit from GSP+ during a two-year transition period through the end of 2028, subject to meeting its existing obligations. However, current beneficiaries will not receive an automatic extension beyond the transition period.

 

To retain GSP+ access after 2028, Pakistan will need to submit a new application along with a forward-looking action plan covering expanded commitments on human rights, labour standards, environmental protection, climate policy and governance.

 

The preferential trade scheme remains important for Pakistan’s exports to the EU. In 2024, Pakistan exported around €7.5 billion worth of duty-free or concessionary goods to the bloc, mainly textiles and garments, with tariff savings estimated at approximately €732 million.

 

The EU’s latest GSP monitoring assessment acknowledged progress in some areas but raised concerns over human rights, prison reforms, enforced disappearances, freedom of expression, child labour and minority rights.

 

Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the assessment but expressed reservations over what it considered an unbalanced assessment of the country’s performance on human rights and rule-of-law issues.

 

EU Ambassador to Pakistan Raimundas Karoblis has previously warned that Pakistan is at a critical stage in its trade relationship with the bloc. He stressed that future GSP+ access would depend increasingly on measurable implementation and compliance, rather than simply ratifying international conventions or introducing legislation.

 

The revised framework therefore places greater pressure on Islamabad to demonstrate tangible progress on the commitments required to maintain preferential access to the EU market beyond 2028.