Speaker
Sajjad
Karim
Position
Sajjad Karim was first elected as a Member of the European Parliament aged 33 and held the position for 15 years. He is recognised as an authority on trade issues within the European Parliament and received the 2019 outstanding achievement award from the Parliament Magazine, acknowledging his extensive work on EU International Trade.
Described by The Daily Telegraph as "the most experienced serving British MEP on EU trade deals”, Sajjad was also awarded Pakistan’s highest national honour to non-Pakistanis for his work on the country winning its GSP+ trade status, with former Prime Minister David Cameron describing Sajjad as “a great ambassador for the party, the region and the United Kingdom.”
As Chair of the Parliament’s South Caucasus delegation from 2014 to 2019, Sajjad contributed towards improving and stabilising the regions relations with the EU. These included a DCFTA, a visa-liberalisation scheme between the EU & Georgia, the implementation of the Comprehensive & Enhanced Partnership Agreement with Armenia and oversaw ongoing negotiations between the EU and Azerbaijan.
Never shy of putting forward ambitious aims, Sajjad has worked consistently to push the tremendous strength and opportunities of a South Caucasus beyond its immediate divisions with open internal borders and the free flow of trade.