Thank EU 2017

From January 01, 2014, Pakistan’s qualification as a GSP Plus beneficiary country has put Pakistan in a tremendously advantageous position. Due to GSP Plus Pakistan became the 2nd textile and garment exporting country in the South and South East Asian region which would have duty free access into the EU. Taking the overall economic perspective of Pakistan in view, this opportunity not only promised a manifold increase in our exports but also acted as an instigator for; investment, both domestic and FDI, employment generation, inculcation of best practices resulting in enhanced institutional capacity and sustained economic growth. After a comprehensive overview of global trade behaviors and Pakistan’s trade ties around the world, with special focus to further strengthen these ties and to invite and motivate different countries to invest in Pakistan, it was observed that An Initiative of Recognition from the business community of Pakistan towards the international community was the need of the hour.

To commemorate the cooperation of the international community the team of EVOLVE Publication organized an event in the name of Thank EU (European Union) 2017 on Thursday, December 07, 2017 at Marriott Hotel, Islamabad from 07:00 pm to 09:00 pm. At the event, EU countries’ Ambassadors were awarded with Thank EU souvenirs.

This event helped

• To recognize the special favor of EU for Pakistan in form of GSP Plus Status
• To acknowledge the support of European Union in connection with promoting trade between Pakistan and EU members as despite overall trade deficit, trade balance with European Union has been in favor of Pakistan
• To materialize the benefits of GSP Plus and address the ignored areas
• To acknowledge the humanitarian aid from EU in times of crisis

The impact of the event has been foreseen as below:

• This will be a soft Thank You from business community of Pakistan to European Union for their continuous support and cooperation
• This event will be treated as an Annual Recognition Gathering of local business community with diplomatic community.
• Un-addressed areas will be explored creating new horizons of cooperation for trade and investment

In future, this event will provide a permanent annual gathering platform where discussion, recognition and cooperation will further strengthen the bilateral ties of different countries with Pakistan.

Speech By:

His Excellency Mr. Jean-Francois Cautain, Ambassador of European Union in Pakistan Honorable Ambassadors Respected Mr. Muhammad Pervaiz Malik, Federal Minister for Commerce & Textile Respected Mr. Muhammad Sarwar, Former Governor Punjab Members of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) Members of All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen Assalam-o-Alaikum and Good Evening. First of all, I would like to express my deep gratitude to all of you to be here and make this evening a memorable one. When I started EVOLVE, I was focused on a two-point agenda and remained stuck to it. That was to promote CONNECTIVITY and POSITIVITY while engaging all the stakeholders including public and private sector with political, military and diplomatic elite. EVOLVE transformed into the Pakistan chapter of CEO CLUBS WORLDWIDE, a renowned 40 years old and world’s largest and oldest platform with more than 36,000 member CEOs around the world. Through this platform we are connecting local and international business communities.

I also take this opportunity to pay tribute to the European Union and its member countries for the role they play in enhancing trade and investment between Europe and Pakistan. We really value this contribution. When we look at the achievements of European nations through the years, it looks like a miracle. This miracle is the result of long and consistent hard work with intelligent planning, constant policies and excessive research. Today, European nations have combined economic growth with high living standards and ideal working conditions.

Today’s Pakistan has a new vision aligned with global challenges. Talented Pakistani youth has started to bring in more innovation and novel ideas. Being a frontline state against terrorism, the Pakistani nation has successfully won the war against terrorism. Political stability and China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) are opening new avenues of cooperation among the nations with Pakistan. Pakistan is going to be a connecting point between Europe and China. In such a scenario, Pakistan can be an ideal investment destination for European industrialists. To me, GSP Plus is just a beginning and I am dreaming of a very rich future ahead, because I believe that future belongs to those who strive to fulfill their dreams. Today’s event is basically an initiative of recognition from the business community of Pakistan towards the European Union for their untiring support in all areas of relationship. I shall quote Alfred Painter to express my feelings: “Saying thank you is more than good manners. It is good spirituality”. That’s why all of us say Thank You to the European Union.

Thank you very much.

Speech By:

MR. MUHAMMAD PERVAIZ MALIK

Thursday, December 07, 2017 at THANK EU 2017

First of all, I am grateful to Mr. Muhammad Ijaz, Editor-in-Chief EVOLVE Publication for such a splendid initiative of THANK EU 2017. This event provided us all with a huge opportunity to pay tribute to European nations for their generosity and compassionate support to Pakistan in all times. This truly reflects the expression of typical Eastern set of values. It gives me a great opportunity to address all of you on a very important matter. This offer resonates and symbolizes the spirit of developmental partnership between Pakistan and EU; which has been scaled up by the grant of GSP Plus to Pakistan.

Excellencies, in my humble opinion, human rights issue should be independent of all the considerations. These rights are absolute and inviolable in all states, regardless of their ideologies or level of development. We as Government functionary, need to constantly create conditions where the cherished fundamental freedoms are nurtured to help individuals to realize their potentials and lead their lives according to their aspirations. In the world that we live in, is full of challenges; there are financial constraints, political differences which give an accord priorities according to the whims and wishes of the consequence. The simple and straightforward issue of human rights can even become complicated at times. In today’s world, there is even mistrust between states and societies; I hope we can someday focus less on finding faults and focus more on our political consequences and uplift them off the harsh conditions.

There are people in Pakistan without access or research to access formal employment in near future; let us realize that we need to keep improving our system-taking steps no matter how small, to encourage Government across the world to take measures that are based on principles of good governance and sustainable development. I must mention here that GSP Plus is one such measure which identifies development within the countries which are slightly better than the least developed countries to comply with UN Conventions-related to human rights, labor rights, narcotic control, corruption and return of great concessions into EU. As these countries have decided to make efforts in improving, the compliances itself, are big achievements. It is a great development on the economic principle of the trickle-down effect, giving booms and bursts of global economic purpose.

Trade is a mutually beneficial arrangement, for example GSP Plus under which Pakistan exports to EU has rolled by 38% from 2013 – 2016. Likewise, EU export to Pakistan has also grown up to 30%. Pakistan has always cooperated with EU in acquirement for information on steps been taken to comprise with UN Conventions. It would be fair to say that these interactions are mutually beneficial as we learn from EU experiences with its challenges and we feel we are very much successful in sharing our perspective with EU.

Implementation on Convention is a matter of work and progress and I think it should be seen as such. It must also take into account the curious circumstances of each country. Pakistan has been facing stiff economic challenges and war against terror at the same time. Who can forget the Army Public School massacre of 2014, which has changed the way we live our lives in Pakistan. The Prime Minister expressed his firm will and commitment to broaden the horizon of individual liberties in Pakistan and to improve the working condition of the labor. Our National action plan for human rights is a testament to this will and I feel EU in Pakistan will continue to work together to strengthen this GSP Plus. Government of Pakistan acknowledges the usefulness and efficiency of the GSP Plus and EU in promoting principles of good governance and sustainable development.

Thursday, December 07, 2017 at THANK EU 2017

Excellency Mr. Pervaiz Malik - Commerce Minister, Excellencies, Representatives of FPCCI, APTMA, Evolve Business Publication Pakistan, Distinguished guests, I would like to begin by appreciating the organizers for commemorating the EU by organizing this THANK EU event today. I am very happy to see that the EU-Pakistan co - operation is being acknowledged by the business community today. I had to say a lot of things in regard to GSP+ but I think colleagues especially the one from Ministry of Commerce has elaborated on the practical aspects of the GSP regime. Let me begin with the EU cooperation with Pakistan stems from the Five Year Engagement Plan which concludes with the end of this year. We are already at an advanced stage of finalizing the Strategic Engagement Plan which will soon be a milestone for our continuous broader relationship with Pakistan - broader relation - ship which will cover stronger cooperation in all spheres including political, trade, science and technology, climate change, security and many more. In trade relations, GSP is indeed an innovative scheme. If Pakistan continues to take advantage of the greater market access to the EU and to implement the 27 International Conventions covered by the scheme, it will not only bring benefit in the form of economic growth; it will also help Pakistan improve the rights of its citizens. And these two aspects are mutually reinforcing. Compliance with the Conventions will generate better economic opportunities and vice versa.

It is truly a “win-win”.

The statistics show that Pakistani exports to the EU have considerably increased in the four years, GSP+ has been in effect. The cumulative increase since 2013 to 2016 was over 38%. In terms of volume, Pakistan’s exports to the EU increased to 6.2 billion Euro in 2016 up from 4.5 billion Euro in 2013. In a nutshell, the GSP+ has helped Pakistan boost its export to the EU at a time when exports to rest of the world are decreasing. Pakistan’s usage of GSP+ concession has been above 95% since 2014 but the only limitation is that this increase has not reflected in diversification in Pakistan’s export base which remains highly concentrated in textiles (and garments i.e. over 70%). This proves that the strong potential is there, provided the industry is able to avail itself of the benefits with improved energy supply, a transparent tax structure and stable international currency market. Now let me come to the obligations part: The EU is obliged under the GSP Regulation to submit a report to the European Parliament and the Council on the functioning of the GSP scheme, once every two years. The report de - tails beneficiary countries’ ratification, reporting, and effective implementation of the relevant conventions. The first such report was presented in January 2016, which delivered a balanced view on Hu - man Rights, Labour Rights as well as Environment and Governance. The next report is due shortly in January 2018 and is being finalized these days. I am happy to note that some good progress has been made since GSP+ came into effect in January 2014. However, in the area of human rights, Pakistan has submitted the outstanding reports to most of the UN bodies; established the Treaty Implementation Cell, established the National Commission on Human Rights, adopted the National Plan of Action on Human Rights and put in place new legislation on human rights. All these measures are promising and reflect the stated intention of the Government to implement the UN Conventions pertaining to Hu - man Rights in the country.

If implementation of these measures is followed without disruption, the situation of human rights will I am sure improve in the years to come. This is a positive step but it is also an indication that some things need to be done in the areas of access to justice, women’s rights, children’s rights, freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression. It is true that not all these issues can be re - solved over night, but the EU has highlighted the need for continued tangible improvements over the 10-year life span of GSP+. The EU is ready to do its part. We have pre - pared an exclusive human rights programme to support the Government and the statutory bodies. We hope that this programme can come online anytime soon. I would like to pass on one very important message to the audience. We have discussed how rights based approach can benefit trade via improved market access for Pakistan. Equally important is the Fair Trade. It means that trading partnerships are based on reciprocal benefits and mutual respect; that prices paid to producers reflect the work they do; that producers share decision making power; that national health, safety, and wage laws are enforced; and that products are environmentally sustainable and conserve natural resources. I would like to appreciate the strong involvement of business community, civil society and media particularly the EVOLVE Business Publication Pakistan for organizing this event. The EU Delegation looks forward to cooperate closely with all of you on this file, also in the future, for the benefit of the people of Pakistan.

Thank you all for your attention.