EU envoy, FPCCI chief discuss avenues for trade expansion

Atif Ikram Sheikh, president of FPCCI, said Raimundas Karoblis, the European Union ambassador to Pakistan, visited the chamber in Karachi to discuss wider trade and industrial links ahead of the next GSP+ cycle. The envoy called for stronger adherence to conventions on human and labour welfare, and he credited the chamber with turning policy directives into commercial action. According to Business Recorder, the envoy also described GSP+ as an effective driver of growth.

Karoblis urged Pakistani exporters to look beyond traditional textiles toward engineering, IT services, leather and food products. Sheikh said exports to the EU single market grew by over 108 percent across the past decade under the GSP+ tariff regime. The apex trade body plans joint ventures and direct European investment in renewable energy, digital services, high-value textiles and agro-processing.

Saquib Fayyaz Magoon, senior vice president of FPCCI, stressed that practical economic measures are needed so local industry can use trade pacts and cope with swings in global supply chains. Zubair Baweja, head of the Pak-EU Business Forum, described steps to build lasting business-to-business ties, linking European buyers with Pakistani exporters. Sheikh framed the aim as moving from simple buyer-seller deals to long-term technology transfer partnerships.