The European Union has raised serious concerns over Pakistan’s human rights record and democratic governance in its latest assessment under the Generalised System of Preferences Plus (GSP+) programme.
The report, described as the EU’s toughest assessment of Pakistan to date, acknowledges progress in areas such as minority rights, anti-torture legislation and measures to improve women’s safety. However, it concludes that Pakistan has failed to fulfil several key commitments linked to its preferential trade access to the European market.
Pakistan has been a beneficiary of the GSP+ scheme since 2014 and remains its largest recipient.
In 2024, Pakistan exported goods worth €7.5 billion under the programme, receiving an estimated €732 million in duty-free trade benefits. The textile and apparel sector accounted for the largest share of these exports.
The EU stressed that GSP+ benefits are not unconditional and are tied to compliance with international obligations.
Under the programme, Pakistan is required to effectively implement 27 international conventions covering human rights, labour rights, environmental protection and good governance in order to continue receiving preferential access to the European market.
