Pakistan has assured the European Union (EU) to comply with all therequisites for the continuation of duty-free exports to the 27-nation bloc.

Adviser to the PM on Commerce & Investment Abdul Razak Dawood during ameeting with Ambassador of the EU to Pakistan Androulla Kaminara said,

Pakistan has stayed focused and will adhere to the agreed timelines,despite the difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce Razak Dawood said theimplementation of 27 conventions under the generalized scheme ofpreferences (GSP) plus is important for Pakistan for long-term national andsocial benefits.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss various matters related to GSPplus and different avenues of cooperation between Pakistan and the EU,particularly for the development of small and medium enterprises, promotionof culture, and tourism industries.

Kaminara discussed various ideas for providing support to the freelancersin the IT sector, handicrafts, and tourism, with the focus on creatinglinkages within the European Union to open new markets for the products andservices. Secretary commerce apprised the ambassador of variousdevelopments.

He said that a lot of emphasis is already on the development of small andmedium enterprises under the ‘Pakistan Goes Global’ project and thestrategic trade policy framework 2020-25. The meeting ended with both sidesagreeing to hold more meetings and explore more avenues of cooperation.