WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1590/97 by Nikitas KAKLAMANIS to the Commission. Violation of human dignity in Pakistan
Date: 1997-05-06
Institutions: European Parliament, KAKLAMANIS
Subjects: CCT duties, International Labour Organisation, Pakistan, carpet, child labour, generalised preferences, restriction on competition, tariff preference, textile industry, textile product

C 45/56

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

10. 2. 98

(98/C 45/66)

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(cid:146)s exports of
clothing items to the Community benefit under the Community(cid:146)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 (1).  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(cid:146)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(cid:146)s International programme for the elimination of child labour (IPEC).

(1)  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.