‘Implement environmental pacts to retain GSP Plus status’

LAHORE
To retain the GSP Plus status and ensure implementation of seven international conventions related to environment, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has favoured immediate functionalising of the Directorate of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), which was rejected by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) after its establishment.
GSP Plus status was given to Pakistan on January 1, 2014, which allows 20 per cent of Pakistani exports to enter the European Union market at zero tariff and 70 per cent at preferential rates for a period of four years till 2017.
The international conventions included Montreal Protocol on Ozone Layer Depleting Substances, Basel Convention on the control of trans-boundary movement of hazardous and other waste, Convention on Biological Diversity, United Nations Framework Conventions on Climate Change, Cartagena Protocol on Bio-Safety to the CBD, Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants and Kyoto Protocol to UNFCCC.
Sources said the first inspection under GSP Plus status is expected in January 2016. They said before this inspection, Pakistan needs to meet the EU’s regulations by effectively implementing 27 international conventions out of which seven are related to environmental issues. Sources said implementation of these conventions is required to sustain GSP Plus status.
The News published a news story on April 21, 2015, pointing it out that implementation of international conventions is being delayed which may affect GSP Plus status. The Punjab chief minister took its notice and directed the EPA to submit a quick reply in this regard.
Sources in the EPA said EPA Director General Farooq Hameed wrote a detailed report on the issue and submitted it on May 13, 2015 in which he requested the government that necessary action should be taken to functionalise the Directorate of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs).
Documents available with The News revealed that the EPA DG, in his report, said the indifference and apathy of the EPD regarding the national cause could be judged from the fact that since July 2014, no meeting of the cabinet committee on GSP Plus status has been attended by EPD whereas so far no internal meeting was convened by the department to discuss the vital issue.
The DG wrote that on the recommendation of the Cabinet Committee on GSP Plus status, the Punjab CM approved establishment of MEAs in the EPA. He said finally the Finance Department sanctioned the directorate with 25 seats and other facilities having a total non-development budget of Rs17 million per annum in May 2014.
“In clear discharge of CM’s order and in violation of Rule 14 of the Government of the Punjab Rules of Business 2011, the EPD knowingly sent a reference to the Finance Department for withdrawal of the sanction of above 25 posts to detract the matter.
“The matter was neither routed through EPA nor the EPA was consulted,” the DG’s reply said adding it was feared that the matter was not even properly and duly processed in the department.
He mentioned that International Conventions pertaining to Climate Change is one of the seven conventions, which are required to be effectively implemented and in order to cater for the same, a Climate Change Cell was envisaged to be established in the Directorate of MEAs. Therefore, requesting for creation of Climate Change Adaption Directorate instead of Directorate of MEAs, leaving all other conventions aside was meaningless.
He concluded that the argument saying “It is strange that an Administrative department which was supposed to function in accordance with the Rules of Business, sent a letter to Finance Department for reversal of an earlier decision of the Punjab CM on such an important subject is a clear violation and even after the advice of Finance Department the matter has been placed in cold storage.”
The EPA DG wrote that someone should be held responsible for this serious lapse. He said Directorate of MEAs has been made functional through internal adjustment and all seven international conventions are being fully implemented and their GSP Plus Monitoring Card is also being updated from time to time by the EPA at its level.