Punjab Woos French Investors as GSP Plus Tops Talks

Key Points:

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif invites French investors to Punjab under the PIVOT programme in agriculture, industry and livestock
GSP Plus dominates the talks; the chief minister calls the scheme a lifeline for Pakistan’s exports and Punjab’s industrial economy
Pakistan’s exports to the European Union reached about $8.96 billion in 2025-26, she says
She thanks France for a €180 million loan for NTDC transmission lines and grid stations in Punjab
The French ambassador invites the chief minister to visit France to promote trade relations

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif invited French investors to Punjab under the PIVOT programme on Saturday and called GSP Plus a lifeline for Pakistan’s exports and Punjab’s industrial economy.

She welcomed the ambassador on his arrival in Lahore and congratulated him on assuming his new diplomatic responsibilities. She also praised his diplomatic services, according to the handout.

The two sides discussed the promotion of trade, economic and investment cooperation between Pakistan and France. They agreed to expand trade, investment and industrial partnership between Punjab and France. They also agreed to explore new avenues of bilateral trade.

The ambassador invited the chief minister to visit France to promote trade relations between the two countries. She thanked him for the invitation.

She invited French investors to invest in Punjab’s agriculture, industry and livestock sectors under the PIVOT programme. She said direct provincial-level links with France through PIVOT could open new doors for industrial cooperation and development partnership.

The chief minister said Pakistan and France shared decades of friendship. She expressed the resolve to place bilateral relations on a long-term and strong institutional footing.

She thanked France for providing a €180 million loan for NTDC transmission lines and grid stations in Punjab. She also invited French investors to join the urban wastewater governance project for the province’s major cities.

Punjab France talks in numbers: EU exports of $8.96 billion and a €180 million French loan for Punjab grid stations.

GSP Plus matters were discussed in the meeting. Pakistan’s export prospects were also reviewed. “GSP Plus holds the status of a lifeline for Pakistan’s exports and Punjab’s industrial economy,” the chief minister said.

GSP Plus holds the status of a lifeline for Pakistan’s exports and Punjab’s industrial economy.

She said the European Union was Pakistan’s largest trading partner and Pakistan’s exports to the bloc had reached about $8.96 billion in 2025-26. She said France’s cooperation was important for safeguarding Pakistan’s trade interests in the European Union.

GSP Plus was of key importance for Pakistan’s textile exports and for its sports goods and leather industries, she said. Preferential access to European markets was indispensable for these industries.

The chief minister said France had supported Pakistan’s GSP Plus status at ministerial level in the past. Continued diplomatic engagement and effective dialogue with France were necessary for the future of GSP Plus, she added.

Alignment with the requirements of the new GSP Plus regime was important for Pakistan’s export future, she said.

She said French dairy, food processing and cold chain firms could enhance value addition in Punjab’s agriculture sector. French utilities, she said, could partner in city water, wastewater and solid waste services under the public-private partnership model.

The chief minister said French energy companies could join solar, grid and energy efficiency projects in industrial estates. French institutions could also help train Punjab’s workforce for the industrial clusters being developed under PIVOT, she said.

She said the French Declaration of Human Rights of 1789 had given the world an enduring charter of liberty, equality and human dignity. She praised France’s recognition of Palestine and its principled stand for justice and equal rights.