The European Union has warned Pakistan that continued access to the bloc’s preferential trade scheme will depend on measurable improvements in human rights, rule of law and governance.
Citing a deterioration in several key areas despite limited legislative progress, the warning came in the European Commission’s latest report on Pakistan’s implementation of the Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) for the 2023-2025 monitoring period. Jointly published by the European Commission and the E.U. High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the report is the final monitoring assessment under the current GSP+ regulation.
The Commission concluded that Pakistan “has been facing compliance issues with its GSP+ obligations” and has “regressed in a number of areas while positive change was limited.” It said “significant concerns remained, generally impacting the rule of law and civil society space,” adding that reports of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings had increased without accountability for perpetrators.
The report also expressed concern over the deterioration of freedom of expression, saying amendments to cybercrime, anti-terrorism and blasphemy laws contain vague provisions that could be used against “dissidents, human rights defenders, journalists, minorities and ordinary citizens,” exposing them to imprisonment, confiscation of assets or restrictions on foreign travel.
Media freedom has continued to deteriorate despite legislation aimed at protecting journalists, the Commission stated, noting that members of the press face intimidation, harassment, violence and strategic litigation for reporting on sensitive issues.
“Targeted litigation (strategic lawsuits against public participation) is sometimes employed to prevent journalists and lawyers from doing their work,” the report stated.
It added that legislation such as the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), criminal defamation, blasphemy, sedition and counter-terrorism laws, contain “vague concepts of hate speech, defamation, terrorism and false news,” creating “a significant chilling effect on dissidents, journalists, human rights defenders and individuals belonging to ethnic or religious minorities.”
Addressing Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, the Commission acknowledged that authorities had highlighted existing legal safeguards, provincial standard operating procedures for handling blasphemy cases and judicial oversight as measures intended to prevent abuse.
“However, these prove to be ineffective, with persistent reports of procedural delays, intimidation and extrajudicial violence impacting blasphemy cases,” the report stated. “There has been no prosecution of false accusations of blasphemy to date. Blasphemy laws are also misused for personal gain.”
The Commission also referred to the emergence during the reporting period of a “blasphemy business group” that entrapped more than 800 people, primarily young men, through online scams that led to false blasphemy allegations.
“The network appears to be dismantled, but as of April 2026, over 300 of the falsely accused victims were still in jail,” the report stated.
The Commission further said that recent constitutional amendments had drawn criticism for “further undermining judicial independence,” exacerbating longstanding concerns about fair trial guarantees and access to justice.
“Latest constitutional amendments have, however, raised concerns about the impact of such reforms on the independence of the judiciary, accountability of the military, and respect for the rule of law,” it stated.
The assessment was shaped by persistent complaints regarding the integrity of Pakistan’s 2024 general elections, measures taken against opposition leaders and supporters, and what the report described as increasing military influence in civilian affairs.
According to the report, political rights have been adversely affected by “abusive judicial proceedings, and detention of opposition supporters and leaders, including of a former prime minister,” with concerns relating to fair trial guarantees, detention conditions and access to lawyers, visitors and medical care.
The Commission also criticized the use of military courts, saying such trials do not meet the fair trial guarantees required under Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), including the right to an independent, impartial and competent tribunal and effective legal representation.
On enforced disappearances, the report said cases continued to rise, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, while Pakistan’s Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances had failed to establish accountability for perpetrators. It also criticized the continued absence of legislation specifically criminalizing enforced disappearances.
The Commission further highlighted continuing discrimination against religious minorities, particularly Ahmadis, along with persistent violence against women and children, high numbers of out-of-school children, child marriage, child labor, prison overcrowding and concerns over the treatment of Afghan refugees returned under Pakistan’s repatriation program.
Despite its concerns, the Commission acknowledged several legislative and administrative reforms undertaken during the reporting period. It described the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) as an increasingly important institution in advancing Pakistan’s human rights commitments. The report also welcomed legislation establishing a National Commission for Minorities, the narrowing of the scope of the death penalty, the continuation of the country’s de facto moratorium on executions, implementation rules under the Anti-Torture Act, the passage of a domestic violence law for Islamabad Capital Territory and Pakistan’s first conviction for marital rape.
It cautioned, however, that “most progress is of legislative and administrative nature and needs to be translated into real improvements on the ground.”
Beyond human rights, the report also assessed Pakistan’s implementation of GSP+ commitments on labor rights, environmental protection, climate change and sustainable development. Reiterating that Pakistan’s continued access to GSP+ depends on tangible progress, the Commission outlined priorities for future engagement ahead of the revised trade framework due to take effect on Jan. 1.
“To ensure further GSP+ eligibility and compliance with international commitments, including in view of the revised GSP rules as of 2027, key priorities for future engagement include: ensuring accountability for human rights violations; increased efforts against torture; prison and capital punishment reforms; reversing negative developments in relation to enforced disappearances and violations of freedom of expression,” the report stated.
Under the revised framework, all current beneficiaries will be required to reapply for GSP+ status under stricter sustainability and governance requirements.
Pakistan is the largest beneficiary of the EU’s GSP+ arrangement, under which exporters receive preferential access to the European market in return for implementing 27 international conventions covering human rights, labor rights, environmental protection, climate action and good governance.
According to the report, the economic benefits of the scheme remain significant. E.U. imports from Pakistan reached 9.4 billion euros ($10.9 billion) in 2022 before declining to 7.9 billion euros in 2023 because of weaker European demand and recovering to 8.3 billion euros in 2024.
The E.U. remained Pakistan’s largest export destination, accounting for 28 percent of the country’s exports, while textiles and clothing represented between 70 percent and 76 percent of Pakistani exports to the European market. About 90 percent of Pakistan’s exports to the E.U. qualified for GSP+ preferences during 2022-2024, with utilization averaging 93 percent and rising to 95 percent in 2024.
The Commission estimated that Pakistan benefited from approximately 732 million euros in tariff exemptions in 2025 alone, equivalent to about 9 percent of its exports to the European Union.
