ISLAMABAD: Romania and the European Union (EU) are closely monitoring Pakistan’s human rights situation and progress on commitments under the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+), with further work needed to ensure continued compliance, Romanian Ambassador Dan Stoenescu said on Thursday.
Speaking at a press briefing, he was asked about Romania’s support for Pakistan’s continued access to the preferential trade arrangement beyond January 2027, amid concerns over alleged political victimisation, increasing restrictions on the media and human rights violations.
During his interaction with the media at the National Press Club, Mr Stoenescu said Pakistan had made some positive progress on human rights, but further steps were required to meet its obligations under the preferential trade arrangement.
“Although we recognise the positive steps that have been made by Pakistan, more needs to be done,” he said, adding that an EU monitoring mission was closely examining the country’s performance.
The ambassador said the EU would make the final assessment of Pakistan’s compliance with GSP+ requirements and declined to offer a conclusion on the outcome of the ongoing monitoring process.
“We are looking very closely at the repression of human rights and how these are respected by Pakistan,” he said.
Romania, as an EU member state, was also following developments closely to assess whether Pakistan was honouring its commitments, he added.
He expressed hope that Pakistani authorities would take appropriate measures to address outstanding concerns and make further progress on human rights.
“We are hoping to see changes, and both Romania and the European Union are hoping that the Pakistani authorities will make the right changes,” he said.
Pakistan benefits from the GSP+ arrangement, which provides preferential access to the EU market for eligible exports.
The scheme is linked to the implementation of international conventions covering human rights, labour rights, environmental protection and good governance. The monitoring process assesses the country’s performance against these commitments, which are central to maintaining the trade concessions.
The ambassador reiterated that, despite the progress acknowledged so far, Pakistan still had more to do to meet the expectations associated with the arrangement.
Turning to bilateral relations, Mr Stoenescu said Romania wanted to strengthen trade, defence, educational and cultural cooperation with Pakistan. Bilateral trade currently stands at around $156 million, a volume he said did not reflect the full potential of the two economies.
He called for greater efforts to translate the longstanding friendship between the two countries into concrete economic opportunities.
Romania, an EU member and an industrial and logistical hub in Central and Eastern Europe, could help Pakistani businesses access European markets, while Pakistan offered opportunities for Romanian companies in several sectors, he said.
Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2026
