ISLAMABAD: If Pakistan fails to fulfil the high-level quality regulatory requirements, it will not see any gains from its GSP+ status.

Pierre Mayaudon, deputy envoy of the European Union delegation to Pakistan, said this on Thursday while speaking at the finalisation of the National Quality Policy 2014 draft.

“The GSP+ status to Pakistan does not guarantee access of Pakistani products to the EU markets unless the regulatory requirements have been dealt with accordingly. There is no shortcut to quality; it is a long and arduous journey of which the national quality policy and its implementation are important first steps,” he said.

On the occasion, Minister for Science and Technology Zahid Hamid said that in the presence of an effective national quality policy, “Made in Pakistan” will become a seal of quality.

“The globalisation of markets is rapidly changing with the technological developments and is posing a big challenge for enterprises in the developing economies in accessing the markets in developed countries. Therefore, the government has realised the need to harmonise national policy issues with international requirements among the quality related organisations and regulatory agencies to ensure an effective and efficient service delivery,” he said.

UNIDO representative in Pakistan Esam Al-Qarah said that the national quality policy will help ensure that goods and services emanating from Pakistan are designed, manufactured and supplied in a manner that match the needs, expectations and formal requirements of the consumers and the authorities in both the local and export markets.

UNIDO expert Martin Kellermann gave an overview of the draft policy on the occasion. He said that Pakistan needs to establish a common technical regulation framework which will be utilised by all federal and provincial regulatory authorities to ensure that technical regulations are effective and that their respective responsibilities are clearly articulated.

The draft of the National Quality Policy, 2014 has been finalised after a series of consultations with public and private sector stakeholders spanning over a period of 18 months.