The European Union’s Ambassador to Pakistan Androulla Kaminara met with FPCCI President Mian Nasser Hyatt Maggo for a high-profile and in-depth consultative session on Pakistan’s economic challenges. It was Mian Nasser Hyatt Maggo’s belief that Pakistan should be treated on a par with other nations in the region and countries that face similar economic and social hardships. According to the European Commission, we should all be judged by the same standards in terms of working conditions, the minimum wage, and labour inspections. GSP Plus, according to Mohammad Younus Dagha, Chairman of the Policy Advisory Board of the FPCCI, has actually benefited both sides, as EU exports and imports have grown by an average of 7pc each year. A permanent Working Group between the EU and Pakistan’s business community should be established to monitor and advise on GSP Plus performance parameters, he suggested. A working group proposed by him should hold regular meetings and seminars. FPCCI vice president said that GSP Plus has created enormous employment opportunities and prompted private-sector investments while ensuring the long-term viability of industrial units run by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which are the engines of growth. The Pakistani textile industry, according to FPCCI Vice President Hanif Lakhany, has done exceptionally well and has carved out a niche for itself in the markets of European Union countries thanks to its high-quality products of the highest standard. H.E. Androulla Kaminara said that according to the latest European Commission report, Pakistan’s progress on GSP Plus-related 27 conventions is in the grey area. Freedom of the Press, Child Labor, Minimum Wage and Working Conditions; Women’s Rights and the Treatment of Minorities & Other Vulnerable Groups are the primary concerns. GSP Plus has its positives and negatives, but Pakistan needs to work on its Human Rights situation. EU is moving toward an expanded and enhanced GSP programme, which may be referred to as GSP ++ or GSP+ v2.0, by H.E. Androulla Kaminara to the distinguished gathering of representatives and leading businessmen of the metropolis That Pakistan should be granted GSP Plus v2.0, the head of the FPCCI said, and he intends to persuade the government to pass the legislation from the FPCCI platform (s). That does not mean that government cannot help businesses and industry grow in order to boost exports to the EU and bring in much-needed foreign exchange for Pakistan.