EU Today interviews Georgiana Teodorescu, Member of the European Parliament, ECR Group. скачать в хорошем качестве

EU Today interviews Georgiana Teodorescu, Member of the European Parliament, ECR Group.

MEP Georgiana Teodorescu (ECR, Romania) speaks to EU Today about why she is calling for the suspension of Pakistan’s GSP+ trade status and stricter scrutiny of EU funds going to third countries. In this interview, recorded in the European Parliament following the conference “GSP+: The EU’s Silent Compromise”, Teodorescu explains why she decided to host the event and why she believes the European Union can no longer ignore the deteriorating human rights situation in Pakistan. She outlines: How GSP+ links duty-free access to the EU market to 27 binding conventions on human rights, labour rights, environmental protection and good governance. Why Pakistan’s exports to the EU surged after it received GSP+ in 2014 – and why this leverage should now be used to demand real reforms. Concerns over misuse of blasphemy laws, enforced disappearances, torture, persecution of religious minorities, and “attacks on journalists, on civil society, and of course on opposition figures”. The fact that, in addition to trade preferences, the EU grants Pakistan around €100 million a year in development and cooperation funds – “free money… taken again from the pockets of the European citizens and gifted to Pakistan” – and the responsibility to ensure it is not misused. Why, in her view, “the situation in Pakistan is getting worse day by day and diplomatic dialogue remains resultless”, and why human rights must remain “the first conditionality” for any continued benefits. Teodorescu stresses that the European Parliament has “a duty towards our voters and towards the European citizens to prioritise their interests first”, and argues that EU openness to help other countries must go hand in hand with clear red lines on human rights and the use of European taxpayers’ money. 🎙️ Interview by: EU Today 🏛️ Guest: MEP Georgiana Teodorescu (ECR) 📌 Topics: GSP+, EU–Pakistan relations, human rights, EU development aid, conditionality, European Parliament oversight.