New EU-Pakistan business forum to be launched next week — media

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s small and medium enterprises are scheduled to get an opportunity to consolidate their relationship with European companies as a major business forum is launched next week, reported Dawn newspaper on Sunday.
The forum will be inaugurated on Wednesday and is likely help the country enhance the use of Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+), attract more European investment and encourage EU companies to increase their imports from Pakistan.
The European Union is one of the biggest export destinations for Pakistani products and accounted for 14.3 percent of the country’s total trade last year.
“The first-ever EU-Pakistan Business Forum for Small and Medium Enterprises will be launched on September 8 to provide opportunities for bilateral trade enhancement,” the newspaper said.
Despite Pakistan’s economic reliance on Europe, its relations with the region has been through turmoil recently after the publication of anti-Islam caricatures in French publications.
Last year, Prime Minister Imran Khan wrote a letter to leaders of Muslim-majority states, saying that Islamophobia was spreading in European countries.
The European Parliament also sought an immediate review of Pakistan’s eligibility for GSP+ status in April, citing instances of “violence and discrimination” against minority religious communities along with civil society organizations.
The preferential trade mechanism offers developing states access to European markets but requires them to subscribe to various international conventions related to human rights, governance and environmental protection.
The recent developments in Afghanistan have been followed by visits of some high-profile European officials to Islamabad.
Pakistan also helped evacuate foreign nationals, diplomats and journalists belonging to the region from Afghanistan after the fall of Kabul on August 15.

New EU-Pakistan business forum to be launched next week — media