The European Union (EU) has warned that Pakistan’s continued access to the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) will depend on tangible improvements in human rights, labour rights, and governance, cautioning that the country has regressed in several key areas despite enjoying record trade benefits.
According to the EU’s latest GSP+ Monitoring Report (2023–2025), Pakistan remained the bloc’s largest beneficiary of the preferential trade scheme, exporting €7.5 billion worth of GSP+-eligible goods to the European Union in 2024, primarily textiles and clothing. The arrangement saved Pakistani exporters an estimated €732 million in customs duties during the year.
Despite these economic gains, the report said Pakistan has struggled to meet its obligations under the 27 international conventions linked to the GSP+ framework.
The report stated that while some positive legislative changes were introduced, overall progress remained limited and compliance with GSP+ commitments had weakened during the review period.
The EU acknowledged several reforms, including legislation to establish a National Commission for Minorities, a reduced scope for the death penalty, the continuation of the de facto moratorium on executions, and implementation rules under the Anti-Torture Act.
It also welcomed the passage of the Islamabad Domestic Violence Bill and described Pakistan’s first conviction for marital rape as a significant step toward strengthening women’s rights.
The report praised the growing role of the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR), along with the Ministries of Human Rights and Law and Justice, in promoting compliance with international human rights standards.
On labour rights, the EU noted Pakistan’s ratification of the International Labour Organization’s 2014 Protocol to the Forced Labour Convention, improvements in labour inspection mechanisms, and new provincial action plans aimed at eliminating child labour.
However, the report stressed that implementation remains weak, with child labour declining only gradually and many reforms failing to produce meaningful improvements on the ground.
The EU also expressed concern over what it described as a deterioration in the rule of law and shrinking civic space.
According to the report, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings increased during the monitoring period without sufficient accountability. It also raised concerns over amendments to cybercrime, anti-terrorism, and blasphemy laws, warning that broadly worded provisions could be used against journalists, human rights defenders, political opponents, minorities, and ordinary citizens.
The report further noted that recent constitutional amendments have raised concerns regarding judicial independence, fair trial guarantees, and access to justice.
The EU also highlighted the continued prevalence of forced labour despite legislative reforms and called for stronger enforcement measures.
Looking ahead to the revised GSP+ framework, which is expected to take effect in 2027, the EU outlined several priority areas for Pakistan. These include improving accountability for human rights violations, preventing torture, reforming prison conditions and capital punishment laws, addressing enforced disappearances, protecting freedom of expression, combating violence against women, ending child marriages, expanding access to education, eliminating child and forced labour, safeguarding minority rights, and strengthening anti-corruption institutions.
The report indicates that while Pakistan has significantly benefited from the GSP+ trade arrangement, future access to the preferential scheme will increasingly depend on measurable progress in implementing international commitments rather than legislative reforms alone.
