Economic Implications of BREXIT for Pakistan

Abstract Pakistan’s trading relationship with the United Kingdom (UK) is governed through the European Union’s (EU) Single Market regulations & tariffs. Pakistan has granted a Generalized Scheme of Preferences (GSP) plus status by the EU, which allows Pakistan commodities duty-free access to the European market. Britain’s decision to leave the EU popularly quoted as “Brexit” can have implications for Pakistan. Pakistan will no more enjoy duty-free access to the UK market. With this backdrop, this research used a new global economic trade model calibrated using the latest GTAP Database and latest Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) 2013 of Pakistan to quantify the impact of Brexit on Pakistan's Economy. Results show that with Brexit, Pakistan's Exports to the UK will decrease by 48 percent. This research recommends the Pakistani government to revisit its trade relations with the UK and should launch negotiations with the UK for attaining unilateral preferential access like EU GSP Plus.