Pakistan’s textile sector has asked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a written letter to direct officers concerned to take all necessary measures for Pakistan’s qualification for GSP Plus status under the new EU GSP+ Scheme. In the letter, the Pakistan Textile Council (PTC) stated that under the new GSP Regulation approved by the European Parliament on April 28, 2026, Pakistan is listed in Annex-I as a Standard GSP country and will be considered a GSP+ beneficiary only until December 31, 2028.
To continue benefiting from January 1, 2029, Pakistan must submit a written request before that date, providing comprehensive information on ratification of the relevant conventions, the required binding undertakings and a plan of action.
The plan must be forward-looking and priority-oriented, propose indicative timeframes and identify the responsible institutions. GSP+ is granted only where the European Commission has not identified a serious failure to effectively implement any of the relevant conventions. Preferences remain in place while the commission assesses a request, but only for countries that have submitted one.
The new scheme applies until December 31, 2036, so the outcome of Pakistan’s request will determine its access to the EU market for the rest of this period. The reliance of Pakistan’s textile and apparel exports on the EU market cannot be overstated.
In FY2025-26, the EU-27 was the sector’s largest market at $7,103 million, about 39.5 percent of total exports of $18,004 million and more than the United States ($4,853 million) and the United Kingdom ($1,730 million) combined. Over the last five years, the EU has consistently taken between 36.1 and 40.4 percent of the sector’s exports, it stated. Exports to the EU declined by two percent in FY2025-26, with six of the top ten products declining.
