WRITTEN QUESTION E-1590/97 by Nikitas Kaklamanis (UPE) to the Commission (6 May 1997)

Subject: Violation of human dignity in Pakistan

Textile products manufactured in Pakistan are admitted for import into the EU under particularly favourable conditions.

In recent years, however, there have been increasing rumours of unacceptable practices in this country, for example the use of child slave labour, children having been bought from their families and dying before the reach the age of 13 because of inhuman working conditions. The matter was considered by the Council of Ministers (May 1996) which urged the Commission to propose measures for the launching of an investigation so as to establish where the responsibilities lie. This has not yet been done.

This situation is unacceptable from the point of view of human values and also creates a problem of unfair competition within the EU, since the low cost of Pakistani textiles and clothing is eliminating other products from Member States and third countries.

Why has the Commission not yet taken specific and direct action to ensure compliance by Pakistan with the fundamental principles of respect for human dignity, and what measures is it considering taking to this end?

Answer given by Mr Marin on behalf of the Commission (20 June 1997)

Pakistan is a member of the World trade organisation (WTO), so trade in textiles and clothing products between that country and the Community is governed by the multilateral trade rules agreed between all members within that organisation, and particularly the Agreement on textiles and clothing.

With regard to its tariff regime, and in common with numerous other developing countries, Pakistan's exports of clothing items to the Community benefit under the Community's scheme of generalised tariff preferences (GSP) from a 15% reduction in the customs rate of duty. For its other textile products Pakistan is subject to the graduation mechanism. As a consequence of this mechanism the preference has been reduced by half (7.5%) since January 1997 and will be completely abolished in 1998. Therefore the import treatment accorded to Pakistan by the Community cannot be qualified as particularly favourable.

The question to which the Honourable Member refers was specific to the hand-made carpet industry and was brought to the attention of the Commission by some trade union organisations in the framework of Articles 9 and 10 of the GSP regulations ((Council Regulations (EC) Nos 3281/94 of 19.12.1994, OJ L 348, 31.12.1994 and (EC) 1256/96, 20.6.1996, OJ L 160, 29.6.1996. )). The matter is still under consideration. The Council did not intervene in the procedure as the GSP regulations give to the Commission an exclusive competence for conducting the investigation in cooperation with the committee for generalised preferences. The Commission believes that the labour practices cited by the Honourable Member also occur outside Pakistan and is accordingly of the view that careful reflection is necessary before any concrete punitive actions are proposed in respect of any particular country.

Furthermore it has to be recalled that the Commission is actively preparing the details of implementation of the incentive social clause of the GSP regulations which will offer next year supplementary advantages for products having been produced in conformity with the substance of the International labour organisation (ILO) conventions relating to children's work (No 138) as well as to freedom of association and the right to organise and bargain collectively (Nos 87 and 98).

The government of Pakistan, which has introduced legislation to outlaw bonded labour and child labour, keeps the Commission informed on a regular basis of the efforts of its authorities to implement this legislation (investigations, prosecutions, convictions, rehabilitations) and on the ongoing establishment and work of various bodies, both public and private, in the area of child labour eradication.

The Honourable Member will be aware that the Commission uses all appropriate occasions to impress on the government of Pakistan its concerns on matters of labour standards. At the request of the government the Commission is currently finalising the funding of a development aid project in Pakistan together with the ILO through that organisation's International programme for the elimination of child labour (IPEC).