BRUSSELS: The Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP Plus) status of Pakistan can be suspended temporarily if it does’t comply with the human rights conditions attached to it, a European Commission trade spokesperson said.
The Commission took note of a resolution adopted by the European Parliament in April which had called for a review of Pakistan’s eligibility for the GSP Plus status after citing an increase in laws that it saw as discriminatory towards minorities and fundamental rights.
The resolution had been presented by Renew Europe, a liberal, pro-European political group of the European Parliament. It was adopted with a majority of 681 votes against six. It had said that Pakistan violated the conditions of its GSP Plus status.
The GSP Plus is a special component of the GSP scheme that provides additional trade incentives to developing countries already benefitting from GSP.
The GSP Plus status granted to Pakistan requires the country to demonstrate progress on the implementation of 27 international core conventions. This condition constitutes a strong leverage for the European Union in terms of monitoring any direct advocacy with Pakistan.
The European Commission and European External Action Service (EEAS) has since been closely monitoring the political developments in Pakistan with respect to the relevant UN/ ILO Conventions, including the issues raised in the Resolution.
A temporary withdrawal of the GSP Plus status is believed to be the last resort when all other means of political dialogue and engagement do not produce the necessary results.
The aim of the GSP scheme is to improve the situation for the people on the ground, and lift the most vulnerable out of poverty. The EU continues to engage with the Government of Pakistan to ensure compliance by Pakistan of its international commitments, in particular in the area of human rights.
The European Parliament’s Human Rights and Foreign Affairs committees at the Strasbourg plenary session have recommended amendments to the global human rights sanctions regime legislation, also known as the Magnitsky Act to make it more forceful and remove the influence of a lobby by the dictatorial regime through smaller, right wing parties of the European Parliament .
The amendment recommends that resolutions passed against human rights violations be passed by a majority vote rather than unanimously, instead of imposing sanctions on countries that violate human rights under the Magnitsky Act.
Sanctions will be imposed on rulers, including bans on their travel to Europe, as well as seizure of their assets in Europe and freezing of bank accounts, which are currently on the EU list. Countries that topped the list include Belarus, Iran, Myanmar, Russia. Pakistan and Bangladesh. They are under the EU radar and the European Parliament has already passed resolutions against them, Geo News reported.
Marie Arena, chair of the European Parliament’s Human Rights Committee, also severely criticised India for its human rights violations and for curtailing freedom of press and jailing independent journalists critical of the Indian government.
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