ISLAMABAD, 11 Nov 2021: The Delegation of the European Union to Pakistan is launching the third phase of its first-ever initiative of the EU-Pakistan Business Forum on 17 November 2021 in Karachi to widen bilateral trade opportunities for both the EU and Pakistani businesses.

After the two programmes, held at Islamabad and Lahore on 8 September and 13 October respectively, the forthcoming programme  in Karachi will be attended by the representatives of local SMEs from key sectors including: the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCGs), the chemicals and pharmaceuticals, the value added textiles and leather and gems, stones, onyx and jewellery designing.

During the Karachi session of the Business Forum, the participants will be informed about making the Pakistani SMEs a part of the country’s export supply chains using the GSP+ scheme granted to Pakistan by the European Union. The programme will also help identify new sectors for expanding the export base and bring diversification in exports. GSP+ provides two thirds of tariff lines duty free access to the EU market with the rest on preferential duties.

The EU Ambassador to Pakistan H. E. Mrs Androulla Kaminara said, “We are coming to Karachi on 17 November, with the third episode of the EU-Pakistan Business Forum, with the confidence that it will widen trade opportunities – especially for the small and medium enterprises. We hope that the programme will enable exporters to reap full benefit from the EU-granted GSP+ concessions by developing contacts in the EU market and pave the way for the SMEs to become engines for development.”