European Union flags flutter outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium in this file photo. — Reuters/File Listen to article 1x 1.2x 1.5x comments Join our Whatsapp Channel Add Dawn as a trusted source ISLAMABAD: The European Union on Thursday noted “issues” in Pakistan’s compliance with its commitments under the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) and cautioned that Islamabad would have to address those shortcomings to qualify under the revised GSP framework.
The caution came in the European Commission’s latest report on the implementation of the GSP over the 2023-2025 period, which said Pakistan had “been facing compliance issues with its GSP+ obligations” and had “regressed in a number of areas while positive change was limited”.
Looking ahead, the Commission said Pakistan’s continued access to the EU’s preferential trade regime would depend on tangible improvements in areas where concerns persisted.
“To ensure further GSP+ eligibility and compliance with international commitments, including in view of the revised GSP rules as of 2027, key priorities for future engagement include: ensuring accountability for human rights violations; increased efforts against torture; in prison and capital punishment reforms; reversing negative developments in relation to enforced disappearances and violations of freedom of expression,” the report emphasised.
The Commission’s assessment about Pakistan was given in an attached Staff Working Document.
The EU praised the National Commission for Human Rights for emerging as an important institution in advancing Pakistan’s human rights obligations.
It cited the legislation establishing a National Commission for Minorities, the narrowing of the scope of the death penalty, the continuation of the de facto moratorium on executions, the adoption of implementing rules under the Anti-Torture Act, the passage of a Domestic Violence Bill for Islamabad Capital Territory and the country’s first conviction for marital rape as notable developments.
The report did, however, observe that “most progress is of legislative and administrative nature and needs to be translated into real improvements on the ground”.
Besides human rights, the report also reviewed Pakistan’s implementation of commitments relating to labour rights, environmental protection, climate change and sustainable development.
It also welcomed Pakistan’s ratification of the 2014 International Labour Organisation Protocol to the Forced Labour Convention and the expansion of labour inspection mechanisms, but said enforcement remained weak, forced labour continued to affect large numbers of workers and child labour was declining only gradually despite new provincial action plans.
The new preferential trade framework, which will take effect on Jan 1, 2027, requires all existing beneficiaries to reapply for the status under more stringent sustainability and governance requirements.
The report, jointly published by the European Commission and the EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, is the final monitoring assessment under the existing GSP regulation and covered the period from 2023-2025.
However, the Commission’s assessment was dominated by concerns over the country’s human rights record in addition to recognising a number of positive legislative measures adopted during the reporting period.
It also said “significant concerns remained, generally impacting the rule of law and civil society space”, adding that “enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings increased, without accountability for perpetrators”.
The Commission also expressed concern over the deterioration in freedom of expression, saying amendments to cybercrime, anti-terrorism and blasphemy laws had introduced vague provisions that could be used against “dissidents, human rights defenders, journalists, minorities and ordinary citizens”, exposing them to imprisonment, confiscation of assets or restrictions on foreign travel.
Media freedom, according to the report, continued to deteriorate despite the adoption of legislation for the protection of journalists, with members of the media facing intimidation, harassment, violence and strategic litigation for reporting on sensitive issues.
The report, in particular, noted that “targeted litigation (strategic lawsuits against public participation, SLAPPs) is sometimes employed to prevent journalists and lawyers from doing their work”.
“Legislation, such as the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) and the criminal defamation, blasphemy, sedition and counter-terrorism laws, contain vague concepts of hate speech, defamation, terrorism and false news.”
It said provisions in Peca, criminal defamation, blasphemy, sedition and counter-terrorism laws had created “a significant chilling effect on dissidents, journalists, human rights defenders and individuals belonging to ethnic or religious minorities”.
It further mentioned that recent constitutional amendments had been criticised for “further undermining judicial independence”, compounding longstanding concerns relating to fair trial guarantees and access to justice.
