On 26th September, the European Institute for Asian Studies (EIAS) hosted a conference in Brussels titled “The EU and Pakistan – Why Do They Matter to Each Other?”, aimed at examining the state of relations between the European Union and Pakistan.
The event, organised in collaboration with the European External Action Service (EEAS), came at a time of mounting political instability in Pakistan and growing frustration in Brussels over the EU’s largely ineffective attempts to wield influence through its soft power instruments, particularly the GSP+ trade scheme.
While the EU has long touted GSP+ as a tool for promoting human rights, labour standards, and good governance in countries like Pakistan, the reality has been far less encouraging.
Pakistan’s preferential access to EU markets under GSP+ was granted on the condition that it would address its human rights record — a commitment that remains unfulfilled.
Despite persistent calls from the European Parliament for a suspension of Pakistan’s GSP+ status due to ongoing violations, the European Commission has repeatedly failed to act, raising questions about the efficacy of the EU’s approach.
GSP+: An Ineffectual Instrument of EU Soft Power
The GSP+ trade scheme, designed to offer preferential access to EU markets in exchange for compliance with 27 international conventions on human rights, labour standards, environmental protection, and good governance, has been a cornerstone of EU-Pakistan relations.
Under the scheme, 78% of Pakistan’s exports to the EU, mainly in textiles and clothing, enter the market at preferential rates, boosting trade by over €6.5 billion since its introduction. Yet, despite these economic gains, Pakistan has struggled to meet the human rights and governance conditions that underpin GSP+.
In her opening remarks, Lin Goethals, the EIAS moderator, emphasised the centrality of trade in the EU-Pakistan relationship. “The EU is Pakistan’s second-largest trading partner, accounting for 15.3% of total trade,” she noted. “There is great potential to expand this relationship, but it must go beyond economics.”
However, despite GSP+’s economic benefits, it has done little to incentivise meaningful progress on human rights.
Brussels-based commentator Shada Islam was critical, suggesting that European leaders are overly focused on superpowers and great power politics, while neglecting nearly two billion people in regions like South Asia.
According to Islam, this focus is shortsighted. She argued that Pakistan’s approach towards Europe is equally narrow, with an overemphasis on trade agreements like GSP+, viewing Europe in purely transactional terms. “That’s become kind of a totem for what Europe is for Pakistan,” she said.
Islam stressed the importance of trade but called for both sides to adopt a broader, longer-term perspective. “There’s more to Europe than just trade, and the relationship must evolve beyond this transactional dynamic,” she argued.
She also expressed concern that Pakistan has not fully capitalised on the opportunities provided by GSP+, particularly in areas such as human rights and governance.
Pakistan’s Internal Crises: No Easy Solutions
Pakistan’s failure to meet the terms of the GSP+ agreement is compounded by the country’s deepening political and economic crises.
Arifa Noor, a senior journalist at Dawn News, detailed the extent of Pakistan’s internal dysfunction. “Pakistan’s economy has been built on geostrategic rents for decades,” she explained, referring to the country’s reliance on external aid tied to its geopolitical importance. With the global focus shifting away from the region, Pakistan’s economic model is now collapsing.
Noor linked the country’s economic crisis to its political instability, highlighting the role of the military in perpetuating a broken system.
“At the moment, there is both an economic and a political crisis in Pakistan, and both are linked,” she said.
With the military’s dominance waning, the political elite is struggling to manage the country’s problems. She also noted the growing youth population’s frustration, manifesting in support for non-traditional political movements like Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Despite Pakistan’s political turmoil, its human rights record remains a significant concern.
Munizae Jehangir, a journalist and human rights advocate from AAJ TV, highlighted the devastating impact of the Taliban’s resurgence in Afghanistan on Pakistan’s internal security, particularly for women and girls. “We are back to the Taliban, right next door, and girls are being deliberately deprived of education,” Jehangir said, noting that this crisis is spilling into Pakistan.
She also pointed to the repressive measures taken by the Pakistani government, including enforced disappearances and the revival of military courts, as signs that Pakistan is heading in the wrong direction.
These concerns have been raised by the European Parliament, which has urged the European Commission to suspend Pakistan’s GSP+ status until these human rights violations are addressed. However, Brussels has remained largely passive.
A Reactive Foreign Policy, A Lack of Accountability
A key theme throughout the conference was the lack of accountability on both sides. Anas Mallick, bureau chief of WION News, described Pakistan’s foreign policy as reactive and short-sighted, shaped more by immediate crises than by long-term strategy. “Pakistan is trying to juggle relationships with the West, China, and Russia all at once, but without a clear plan, it risks losing on all fronts,” he said.
This critique could easily apply to the EU’s approach to Pakistan. While the GSP+ scheme was meant to incentivise progress on human rights, it has largely become a missed opportunity. The European Commission’s reluctance to act on the European Parliament’s recommendations for suspension has led to growing frustration in Brussels.
“At the end of the day, GSP+ is supposed to be conditional on human rights improvements, but what we’re seeing is quite the opposite,” one senior EU official, speaking off the record, said.
“Pakistan has continued to violate basic rights, and yet it still enjoys the benefits of GSP+. How can we justify this?”
A Partnership in Need of Transformation
The conference painted a picture of a partnership that is failing to live up to its potential. While economic ties between the EU and Pakistan remain strong, the broader relationship is hamstrung by Pakistan’s reluctance to address its human rights record and the EU’s hesitancy to enforce its own standards.
As Deren Derya, Head of Division for Afghanistan and Pakistan at the EEAS, noted, “GSP+ has been a significant driver of trade, but it’s not just about trade. It’s a political instrument that enables us to engage on human rights, governance, and democracy.”
In conclusion, if the EU is to maintain its credibility as a global defender of human rights, it must reconsider its approach to GSP+. The time for transactional relationships is over. Both the EU and Pakistan must work towards building a partnership based on accountability, transparency, and shared values — or risk the consequences of continued inaction.
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