Karachi: Mr. Raimundas Karoblis, the Ambassador of the European Union to Pakistan, visited the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) Head Office in Karachi for discussions focused on expanding trade opportunities and preparing the private sector for the upcoming Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP+) cycle.

According to Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry, President Atif Ikram Sheikh highlighted the importance of the meeting, which brought together diplomatic representatives and members of Pakistan's apex trade body to strategize on diversifying exports, encouraging European investment, and reinforcing compliance with global sustainability standards. Mr. Sheikh emphasized the European Union's role as a key trading partner, noting that preferential market access under GSP+ has significantly boosted Pakistan's exports to the EU over the past decade.

The discussions underscored the goal of transforming traditional buyer-seller transactions into long-term partnerships in sectors such as renewable energy, digital services, and high-value textile manufacturing. EU Ambassador Karoblis acknowledged FPCCI's role in connecting policy with practice and reiterated the EU's commitment to supporting Pakistan's sustainable economic development. He stressed the need for Pakistani exporters to explore emerging opportunities in value-added engineering, IT services, leather, and food products, while improving compliance with human and labor welfare conventions.

Senior Vice President of FPCCI, Saquib Fayyaz Magoon, and Head of FPCCI's Pak-EU Business Forum, Zubair Baweja, also contributed to the discussions. They highlighted the need for tangible economic interventions to enhance the local industry's competitiveness in European markets and outlined mechanisms for building lasting business-to-business linkages through initiatives like the Pak-EU Business Forum.