The European Union’s latest assessment of Pakistan under the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP ) is more than a routine review of trade compliance. It is one of the sharpest official assessments yet of Pakistan’s democratic decline and human rights record. While the report acknowledges some legislative progress—including reforms relating to minority rights, anti-torture measures and protections for women—its broader conclusion is unmistakable: Pakistan has fallen short of several commitments that underpin its preferential access to the European market.

Pakistan has benefited from the GSP program since 2014 and remains its largest beneficiary.

In 2024 alone, it exported goods worth around €7.5 billion under the scheme and received tariff exemptions estimated at €732 million. Much of that advantage has flowed to the country’s textile and garment industry, which dominates Pakistan’s exports to Europe. Yet the report makes an important distinction.

These trade preferences are not unconditional economic benefits; they are linked to Pakistan’s obligation to uphold 27 international conventions covering human rights, labour standards, environmental protection and good governance.

The assessment therefore raises an obvious question: can Pakistan continue to enjoy the commercial advantages of GSP while steadily drifting away from the standards on which the program is built?

Democracy Under Strain The report’s most striking findings relate to Pakistan’s political landscape during the 2023–2025 monitoring period, particularly after the 2024 general elections. According to the European Commission, the period was marked by persistent concerns over the integrity of the electoral process, an intensified crackdown on opposition leaders and supporters, and an expanding military role in political affairs. Collectively, these developments, it argues, have weakened democratic institutions and eroded the rule of law.

Some of the language is unusually blunt for an official EU document. The report states that political rights have........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)