Global Europe

Expect European Union policymakers at the second summit with Pakistan today (June 4) to make the right political noises on upgrading relations and building a "comprehensive partnership for peace and development". Such pledges are important. It's time, however, to move from intention to action.

Despite recent attempts to give EU-Pakistan ties some much-needed oomph, the relationship is riddled with deficits. For one, the EU is still stone-walling Pakistani demands for tariff-free market access for its textile exports. 

Second, the EU must focus more on helping reform the country's weak civilian institutions, including the judiciary and parliament. Political parties in Pakistan fight for democracy on the national arena but are dominated by feudals. The civil administration is in dire need of modernization.

Third, while aid from the European Commission and EU governments is increasing, the effectiveness of such assistance is hampered by patchy coordination and competition over projects.

Fourth, the relationship needs serious political commitment. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton's decision not to attend the Pakistan summit is embarrassing for both sides and calls into question her political judgment. It also deals a strong blow to EU efforts to build a long-term relationship with the country. Making matters worse, Ashton has neither apologized for her absence nor given any reason for her decision to stay away. Her predecessor Javier Solana traditionally took an active interest in all meetings with Pakistan. 

True, with its reputation for harbouring and training insurgents (including Afghan and Pakistani Taliban as well as Al Qaeda operatives), still-erratic efforts to curb terrorism and sectarian violence, poor protection of human rights as well as discrimination against minorities, it is not easy to build a strong case for closer EU-Pakistan ties. Global security concerns, however, demand that Europe step up its engagement with Pakistan. 

Despite the recent surge in extremist violence, the country is one of the largest moderate Muslim nations in the world, with strong ties across the Islamic bloc.  Pakistan's fragile democratic government needs international support to boost economic and social development, install the rule of law and correct years of military misrule. Afghanistan cannot be stabilized without the active cooperation of Islamabad and of course Pakistan's mostly-fraught relations with India -- both nuclear-armed nations -- represent a quasi-permanent threat to global peace.

The EU has been slow in responding to these and other imperatives. Britain has taken a keen interest in pressing for stronger ties, but for many other EU member states,including France, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Italy and Poland, the focus is on the "threat" posed by Pakistan's textile exports to domestic European manufacturers rather than on efforts to bolster Pakistan's fledgling democracy.

Pakistan's hopes of securing access to the EU's special zero-duty tariff scheme known as GSP Plus have been dashed following a European Commission decision to extend the current system until end-2011, without making any changes in eligibility criteria which would have allowed Islamabad to join. As such any duty-free entry for Pakistani exports has been put off until 2014.

Pakistan claims this puts its textile exports at a serious disadvantage compared to competing products from other Asian countries.  However, as an EU diplomat put it: "Try convincing Southern European textile manufacturers that in the current economic climate they should act in favour of the greater good of South Asia."

If the EU is to be taken seriously as a political and economic player in Asia, European governments will have to make the case for just such "greater good" and resist the culture of protectionism that continues to prevail in many sectors.