APBF holds consultative session with EU envoy

The All Pakistan Business Forum hosted a consultative session in Lahore with European Union Ambassador Raimundas Karobolis, according to Business Recorder. The discussion focused on deepening bilateral trade, drawing European investment into Pakistan and opening fresh channels for industrial and economic cooperation. Attendees included PIEDMC chairman Shahzad Azam Khan, TEVTA chairman Brig Sajid Khokhar and several industrialists.

Ambassador Karobolis said there was considerable room to lift Pakistan's exports and attract more European capital, pointing to the GSP+ scheme as a route to preferential access for local exporters. He also flagged digital innovation, sustainable logistics, renewable energy and mining as high-value areas for collaboration, and urged stronger links between Pakistani and European firms. The EU, he said, remains committed to trade, investment and sustainable growth with Pakistan.

APBF president Maaz Mahmood urged Pakistani exporters to move beyond traditional sectors, pursue diversification and add value, and meet international standards and certification. He called for closer cooperation between local industry and European institutions to lift quality, sustainability, technology and productivity. Shahzad Azam Khan pointed to private-sector engagement, technology partnerships and joint ventures as routes to wider trade, and cited EU data showing bilateral goods trade of €12.2 billion. According to that data, the EU remains Pakistan's largest export market.