ISLAMABAD, April 25: The European Union-Pakistan Joint Commission is being revived after over 10 years amid warming of ties between the two and accompanies an enhanced 200 million euros EU assistance package for poverty-alleviation and human resource development.
The joint commission is scheduled to meet here in the later part of next month. A high-level EU delegation is being expected for the meeting.
Although the two sides are still developing the agenda for the Islamabad meeting, it is believed that the meeting would focus on improving the overall EU-Pakistan ties, besides discussing trade and other development issues.
The joint commission, which is being seen by the EU as ‘first practical step’ by the two sides towards strengthening of commercial, economic and development cooperation was last held in 1996.
The commission that meets annually was then suspended because of nuclear tests by Pakistan. Subsequently, EU concerns about human rights and democracy in Pakistan prevented its re-activation. At that time, the joint commission was purely an economic forum.
Pakistan’s role in war on terror encouraged the EU in 2001 to enter into the third-generation agreement, which envisaged revival of the suspended joint commission with an expanded mandate to cover human right and democracy also. But, the European Parliament withheld the agreement for another three years because of concerns about democracy in Pakistan and finally ratified it in 2004.
The joint commission, however, could even then not be revived because of issues pertaining to illegal Pakistanis in the EU member countries.
Mr Thorsten Bargfrede, head of operations of the delegation of European Commission in Pakistan, replying to a question said the issues have been settled and the joint commission is resuming its working.
“The meeting of the joint commission is one step forward in strengthening of relations between the EU and Pakistan,” he added.
The federal cabinet had last month agreed to sign the ‘readmission treaty’ to resolve the outstanding issue of illegal Pakistanis in European Union countries.
According to the readmission treaty, it would be obligatory for Pakistan to automatically readmit its nationals and stateless people coming from or having lived in Pakistan.
Legal experts believe such an agreement would expedite deportation of illegal immigrants and reduce transaction cost for EU members.
Alongside the revival of the joint commission, the EU has increased annual assistance for Pakistan to 50 million euros for the next four years.
Previously Pakistan was getting 15 million euros per annum from the EU as annual assistance.
According to the Country Strategy Paper 2007-2013, the key objective for the enhanced aid is poverty reduction.
The first focal area for assistance will be rural development and natural resources management in NWFP and Balochistan with a view to reducing regional disparities and promoting stability in the volatile region bordering Afghanistan.
The second focal area will be education and human resources development, which EU believes is a critical ingredient for developing a well-trained work force and creating a moderate and stable Pakistan. Other areas of assistance are trade development, democratisation and human rights and anti-money laundering
To maximise the impact of EU assistance, key cross-cutting issues, in particular the environment, conflict prevention, gender, HIV/AIDS, human rights and governance have been mainstreamed in the new strategy paper.
