The European Union (EU) has shown keen interest to increase its investments, now at 24 billion euros, with Bangladesh.
At the same time, the EU also wants to increase imports from Bangladesh in the coming days.
European Union (EU) ambassador to Bangladesh, Charles Whiteley, said this after a meeting with Finance Minister Abul Hasan Mahmud Ali at the Secretariat on Monday.
He said, “We are interested in increasing European investment in Bangladesh. Moreover, we want the export of Bangladeshi products to the EU to increase.”
Regarding the discussion of the meeting, he told journalists, “We had many important discussions on various issues. It was basically a courtesy call. We talked about Bangladesh’s cooperation with the European Union. Besides, we also discussed the economic potential of Bangladesh.”
The EU ambassador said that they are working with Bangladesh on various issues including social security. We also talked about budget support in those cases. The EU has important relations with Bangladesh in terms of trade and business.
Expressing optimism after learning about the finance minister’s plans, the ambassador said, “Our expectations have increased to work as a partner in the development of Bangladesh.”
Has there been any talk about the plan for 2026? In response to such questions from journalists, Charles Whiteley said, “We want Bangladesh’s transition from LDC country to be easy, that’s what we want.
We are also emphasizing on this, because it is important for Bangladesh and the European Union. We, of course, want an easy transition to GSP Plus. This is the big foundation in our relationship. This is important for the 2026 process.”
He also said, “We are focusing more on how we can help increase investment in Bangladesh through the European Chambers of Commerce.”
Apart from this, whether labor rights and human rights were discussed or not, the ambassador said, there was no talk about labor rights and human rights.
During the meeting, both parties discussed the feasibility of economics. Besides, various projects and budget support were discussed.
