Development MEPs conclude fact-finding visit to Pakistan

A group of five Committee on Development (DEVE) MEPs were in Pakistan to assess EU support for the country's resilience against climate related shocks and social and economic development.

The group of five Committee members was led by Lukas Mandl (EPP, Austria) and also included the Committee's Vice Chair Robert Biedroń. During their visit to Istanbul, MEPs met with the Speaker of the National Assembly, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, the Minister of Commerce, Jam Kamal Khan, the Chair of the Committee on Climate Change and leader of the governing Pakistan People Party, Senator Sherry Rehman, as well as with the UN Resident Coordinator, UN agencies, local civil society representative, EU member states’ ambassadors and development agencies. The situation of women, private sector development, and the country's efforts to comply with requirements under the GSP+ tariff free trade regime, related to labour and human rights, environmental and climate protection, and good governance, were also discussed with Pakistani counterparts.

In their meetings in Islamabad, the delegation was briefed on Pakistan's efforts, and existing short-comings, to improve the investment climate, adopt and implement international human rights standards, alleviate poverty and improve the situation of minorities and women. Members underlined the importance of adapting adequate laws and measures as required for GSP+ beneficiary countries in view of a possible renewal of those preferences for Pakistan. DEVE MEPs also discussed the deteriorating situation of the (at least) 1.5 million refugees from Afghanistan, and their repatriation, amidst increasing tensions with the Taliban in border areas.

Following the meetings in Islamabad, the delegation continued their mission in Pakistan’s Sindh province to meet with local authorities, humanitarian partners and communities that have been affected by the severe floods of 2022. While there, they witnessed the reconstruction work and EU supported efforts to improve disaster preparedness and resilience in the face of increasingly heavy and recurrent extreme rains.

The delegation’s final day was devoted to an encounter with a small-scale diary producer who had scaled up her micro-business after receiving a grant and training, and a visit to a tissue culture lab, which breeds and sells banana seedlings that are less prone to devastating pests. Committee MEPs visited a rural village that was being rehabilitated with improved basic services (drinking water, drainage systems, sanitation facilities) following the severe flood of 2022.

Concluding the mission, delegation lead Lukas Mandl said: "During our visit, we were able to have very open discussions with our counterparts in Pakistan about the challenges and problems the country faces. I appreciated the very insightful encounters with EU member state representatives and other EU actors in Pakistan. We were happy to see that EU funding is contributing to the scaling up of local SMEs, and to empower people to be actors for the sustainable development and stability of Pakistan. We saw that locally owned private enterprises can make a real difference with scaled-up technology, and better equipment. We witnessed EU funded projects in Pakistan creating employment, improving food security and supporting the resilience of local people, building on their own capacities and aspirations."

Members of the delegation

Lukas MANDL (EPP, AT)

Robert BIEDROŃ (S&D, PL)

Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR (S&D, ES)

Tomas ZDECHOVSKY (EPP, CZ)

Marc JONGEN (ESN, DE)