Commerce Minister discusses GSP Plus, trade ties with EU officials

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Commerce and Investment Naveed Qamar on Monday held important and productive meetings in the EU Parliament and the European Union Commission.

The federal minister is visiting Brussels on a weeklong official visit from October 23 to 29. The commerce minister met the Chair of the European Parliament’s committee for International Trade Bernd Lange in Brussels.

Ambassador of Pakistan to Belgium, Luxembourg and the European Union Dr Asad Majeed Khan and other officials were also present during the meeting.

The commerce minister underscored that trade and investment ties were a key component of Pakistan’s multifaceted relationship with the EU. The GSP Plus has been a mutually beneficial undertaking that played an important part in the growth of Pakistan’s bilateral trade with the EU countries, he added.

The minister highlighted that economic stabilization and growth were the key priorities of the current government, particularly in the aftermath of the devastating floods and the EU remains a major partner for Pakistan to realize these objectives.

Positive discussion on GSP+ and cooperation with chair of international trade committee INTA Bernd Lange and Maximilian Krah , member INTA pic.twitter.com/bIIXeEb7A2

— Syed Naveed Qamar (@naveedqamarmna) October 24, 2022

He emphasized that GSP Plus was an excellent model for mutually beneficial cooperation between the two sides as Pakistan’s export to the EU has increased by 86 percent whereas the EU’s exports to Pakistan grew by 69 percent since inception of the scheme in 2014.

He expressed hope that the new GSP Plus regulation would continue to focus on its central tenets of supporting sustainable development, poverty alleviation and good governance in the beneficiary countries.

INTA Committee Chairperson thanked the commerce minister and agreed to work together in further strengthening Pakistan-EU relations including enhanced exchanges.

Thank you very much Commissioner Wojciechowski for receiving is this afternoon and for that very productive exchange. https://t.co/Gh5NMrE4fe

— Asad M. Khan (@asadmk17) October 24, 2022

The minister also held a separate meeting with European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Janusz Wojciechowski.

He stressed the importance of enhancing Pak-EU cooperation in agriculture sector, especially for modernization of agro-based industries, expansion of storage facilities, research, water management, food security and flood protection.

In a separate interaction, Naveed Qamar met the Standing Rapporteur of Trade Monitoring Group for South Asia in the Committee on International Trade Maximilian Krah. The minister briefed on ways and means to further strengthen Pak EU trade and investment relations.