Brussels, 20/02/2004 (Agence Europe) - In Islamabad on Wednesday, Chris Patten, European Commissioner for External Relations signed, an agreement on behalf of the European Union financing a co-operation programme on Trade-related Technical Assistance for Pakistan. The EU will contribute EUR 5,000,000 to the three-year programme which has a total budget of EUR 6,511,000. The overall objective of the programme is to assist Pakistan by fostering its integration into the world economy and, ultimately, to alleviate poverty by creating the trade conditions for stable economic growth. Mr Humayun Akhtar Khan, Minister of Commerce, signed the agreement on behalf of the Government of Pakistan, which is contributing EUR 1,111,000.
The programme has three main components: 1) building the capacity of Pakistan stakeholders, notably government officials and private sector representatives, in WTO trade negotiations; 2) increasing the export competitiveness of key sectors, such as textiles and fisheries, by improving Pakistan structure on standards and quality control; and 3) support in the field of intellectual property rights (IPR) and the upgrading of the relevant IPR institutes in Pakistan. In a press release, the Commission commented: 'The timing of the proposed assistance is of particular relevance to Pakistan as the quota system under the WTO Agreement on Textiles and Clothing will cease to exist on 1 January 2005'. It commented also: 'At present there is limited awareness among stakeholders of the implications of the WTO Agreements and of the opportunities and challenges of the world trading system. The purpose of the programme is therefore to enhance awareness among Government officials, the business sector and civil society about the implications of numerous WTO Agreements on the economy of the country, and to assist Pakistan in building the necessary capacity to address issues resulting from its participation in the WTO.' The programme will be implemented in co-operation with the International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO (ITC), which will contribute some EUR 200,000 to the initiative, as well as with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), which will contribute around EUR 200,000.