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ISLAMABAD: The European Union (EU)’s parliamentary committee on international trade has rejected a resolution against providing market access to Pakistani products – paving the way for incentives provided under the GSP Plus status.
“The last time the GSP status was provided to Pakistan in 2002 during the tenure of military dictator Musharraf. We argued before parliamentarians in the EU that it was time the EU extended its support to the democratically elected government in Islamabad by providing incentives under GSP plus,” said Federal Minister of State for Commerce and Privatisation Khurram Dastgir Khan while addressing a news conference here at PID on Wednesday.
Accompanied by Secretary Commerce Qasim Niaz, the minister said Pakistan ratified 27 conventions to obtain market access under GSP Plus. However, he clarified that a moratorium on the death penalty is not part of any condition for obtaining this status. “As far as my knowledge is concerned there is no connection between the two,” he added.
Further, he said, the GSP Plus would help the government reverse the current trend of shifting textile and other units outside Pakistan. However, he said, that it is not a big issue as so far only four textile units have shifted operations outside Pakistan. Overall, 267 units have packed their bags so far as reported by SECP, he added.
“Energy shortages are impacting the textile sector but it has not resulted in the widespread closure of businesses altogether,” said Khan.
He went on to that even though the compliance mechanism for obtaining GSP Plus is tough, there were many points which were already part of the PML-N manifesto.
The minister said that the EU’s northern sphere supported market access for Pakistan while countries in the south opposed access for Islamabad. However, a majority of votes rejected the resolution against Pakistan with 18 members in favour of Pakistan and 12 against.
The minister said GSP Plus would create space for ensuring exportable surplus in the country. “Some joint venture with foreign investors will ensure value addition especially in textile sector where raw cotton or semi processed cotton was exported but now value addition would be ensured to maximize benefits,” he said.
Khan added that the previous government played its role in pursuing EU countries to provide market access to Pakistan. “Pakistani diplomats stationed in EU countries also played their positive role.”
He said the GSP Plus status would become effective from January 1, 2014 under which duty on textile exports would be reduced to zero from existing level of 9.6 percent. “With the help of GSP Plus, around 0.1 million job opportunities will be created in the country,” he added.
GSP Plus is expected to provide a major boost to Pakistan’s exports, particularly textile exports, to the 27-member European Union.
“We must fight extremism not only with guns but also with the weapon of economic hope. New jobs created by GSP will bring hope for hundreds of thousands of jobless young men and women throughout Pakistan,” he added. Further, he said, GSP Plus is also expected to attract large-scale foreign investment into the country and make Pakistani exports attractive compared with regional and international competitors.
Our correspondent adds from Lahore: The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and
Industry (LCCI) Wednesday welcomed the move of the European Union Parliament’s International Trade Committee to grant duty-free market access to Pakistan to help the country boost its exports and create job opportunities.
In a statement, the LCCI President Engineer Sohail Lashari, Senior Vice President Mian Tariq Misbah and Vice President Kashif Anwar said the approval of the generalised system of preferences (GSP) Plus status to Pakistan by a high-powered European parliamentary committee has proved Pakistan implemented all international conventions related to human and labor rights and environment and good governance to the satisfaction of the European parliament.
“The European parliament is considering the GSP Plus status for 10 developing countries that ratify and implement the [said] international conventions.”
The LCCI office-bearers said exporters from various industries in Pakistan are expecting the access to European markets, which promise huge potential for multiplying the country’s current exports.
They said the grant of the status would create a million jobs for Pakistani youth and boost exports by $ 1 Billion
They said the LCCI has been raising the issue for the last many years and today is an historic day for Pakistan’s business community.
They hoped the European parliament in its meeting scheduled for December 10, 2013 would finally grant the status.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-3-212583-Islamabad-inches-closer-to-GSP-Plus-status
“The last time the GSP status was provided to Pakistan in 2002 during the tenure of military dictator Musharraf. We argued before parliamentarians in the EU that it was time the EU extended its support to the democratically elected government in Islamabad by providing incentives under GSP plus,” said Federal Minister of State for Commerce and Privatisation Khurram Dastgir Khan while addressing a news conference here at PID on Wednesday.
Accompanied by Secretary Commerce Qasim Niaz, the minister said Pakistan ratified 27 conventions to obtain market access under GSP Plus. However, he clarified that a moratorium on the death penalty is not part of any condition for obtaining this status. “As far as my knowledge is concerned there is no connection between the two,” he added.
Further, he said, the GSP Plus would help the government reverse the current trend of shifting textile and other units outside Pakistan. However, he said, that it is not a big issue as so far only four textile units have shifted operations outside Pakistan. Overall, 267 units have packed their bags so far as reported by SECP, he added.
“Energy shortages are impacting the textile sector but it has not resulted in the widespread closure of businesses altogether,” said Khan.
He went on to that even though the compliance mechanism for obtaining GSP Plus is tough, there were many points which were already part of the PML-N manifesto.
The minister said that the EU’s northern sphere supported market access for Pakistan while countries in the south opposed access for Islamabad. However, a majority of votes rejected the resolution against Pakistan with 18 members in favour of Pakistan and 12 against.
The minister said GSP Plus would create space for ensuring exportable surplus in the country. “Some joint venture with foreign investors will ensure value addition especially in textile sector where raw cotton or semi processed cotton was exported but now value addition would be ensured to maximize benefits,” he said.
Khan added that the previous government played its role in pursuing EU countries to provide market access to Pakistan. “Pakistani diplomats stationed in EU countries also played their positive role.”
He said the GSP Plus status would become effective from January 1, 2014 under which duty on textile exports would be reduced to zero from existing level of 9.6 percent. “With the help of GSP Plus, around 0.1 million job opportunities will be created in the country,” he added.
GSP Plus is expected to provide a major boost to Pakistan’s exports, particularly textile exports, to the 27-member European Union.
“We must fight extremism not only with guns but also with the weapon of economic hope. New jobs created by GSP will bring hope for hundreds of thousands of jobless young men and women throughout Pakistan,” he added. Further, he said, GSP Plus is also expected to attract large-scale foreign investment into the country and make Pakistani exports attractive compared with regional and international competitors.
Our correspondent adds from Lahore: The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and
Industry (LCCI) Wednesday welcomed the move of the European Union Parliament’s International Trade Committee to grant duty-free market access to Pakistan to help the country boost its exports and create job opportunities.
In a statement, the LCCI President Engineer Sohail Lashari, Senior Vice President Mian Tariq Misbah and Vice President Kashif Anwar said the approval of the generalised system of preferences (GSP) Plus status to Pakistan by a high-powered European parliamentary committee has proved Pakistan implemented all international conventions related to human and labor rights and environment and good governance to the satisfaction of the European parliament.
“The European parliament is considering the GSP Plus status for 10 developing countries that ratify and implement the [said] international conventions.”
The LCCI office-bearers said exporters from various industries in Pakistan are expecting the access to European markets, which promise huge potential for multiplying the country’s current exports.
They said the grant of the status would create a million jobs for Pakistani youth and boost exports by $ 1 Billion
They said the LCCI has been raising the issue for the last many years and today is an historic day for Pakistan’s business community.
They hoped the European parliament in its meeting scheduled for December 10, 2013 would finally grant the status.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-3-212583-Islamabad-inches-closer-to-GSP-Plus-status
