Pakistan, Germany review GSP Plus, trade and investment cooperation

Pakistan and Germany discussed ways to widen trade, investment and business-to-business links, Mettis Global reported, citing a press release. During German Ambassador Ina Lepel's courtesy call on Federal Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan, the minister invited German companies to explore investment in Pakistan and join the FoodAg trade show in Karachi. Senior commerce ministry officials, including Commerce Secretary Jawad Paul, also attended the session.

Kamal Khan credited Germany with long-standing economic cooperation and a constructive part in the European Union's GSP Plus scheme, and said Pakistan remains committed to its international obligations. Lepel noted Pakistan's legislative progress linked to GSP Plus, and stressed that laws need effective enforcement, measurable results and visible benefits for citizens. Rana Isaan Afzal, the prime minister's coordinator on commerce and industries, also raised Pakistan's Basmati rice Geographical Indication case, including its position on India's application before the European Commission.

Lepel agreed that proper legal mechanisms can help producers and exporters, and said GI protection could raise global recognition and support rural livelihoods. The minister added that FoodAg, due in Karachi in November 2026, would let German firms meet Pakistani companies and identify deals in agricultural machinery and food processing. A Pakistani business delegation is planned to visit a major animal husbandry fair in Germany, and Lepel invited the minister to the 19th Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business in Seoul between October 29 and 31, 2026.