Bangladesh and the EU relationship is “more mature and strategic” now than before, an official has said.
Rensje Teerink, head of the Division for South Asia of the European External Action Service, stated how at their 50th anniversary the relations between “Bangladesh and the EU have become more mature and geostrategic”.
She also served in Bangladesh as the EU head of delegation.
The European Institute for Asian Studies (EIAS) and the Study Circle London jointly organized the conference in Brussels, marking the 50 years of diplomatic relations between the EU and Bangladesh on Wednesday.
Bangladeshi lawmakers and EU diplomats who spoke at the conference explored the implications of Bangladesh's remarkable development and assessed the opportunities for enhanced future collaboration between both partners, the Bangladesh mission said.
The conference discussed the importance of Bangladesh's LDC graduation and the upcoming partnership and cooperation agreement (PCA) negotiations with the EU, the need for a “rebranding” of Bangladesh as a middle-income country, and opportunities for further collaboration on issues such as labour rights, economic diversification, renewable energy development, and migration policies.
The conference was chaired by Lin Goethals, EIAS director, and brought together a number of highly distinguished speakers from different institutions and organizations from Bangladesh and Europe.
In his opening remarks, the Bangladesh ambassador to Belgium and mission to the EU Mahbub Hassan Saleh emphasized the robust trade partnership between the EU and Bangladesh, with the EU being the destination for 50% of Bangladeshi global exports.
Bangladesh's emergence as a Bengal Tiger Economy since its independence has played a significant role in the formation of this relationship. Yet, the two entities are now seeking to expand their cooperation beyond trade into areas such as climate change, security, connectivity, migration, and the blue economy.
This cooperation is based on shared values in democracy, justice, gender equality, human rights, and a secular government.
Together, the partners also aim to address issues such as the displacement of Myanmar nationals and Rohingya refugees.
Ambassador Saleh highlighted that to strengthen their partnership, the EU and Bangladesh have agreed to initiate negotiations for a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) this year.
This move is seen as a significant step toward taking the relationship to the next level, following Bangladesh's projected graduation from Least Developed Country (LDC) status into a long-term, mutual, alliance.
Study Circle London Chairman Syed Mozammed Ali presented their recent study: “Bangladesh: The Journey of Indomitable Development”.
Referring to the transformation that has taken place in Bangladesh as nothing short of a miracle, considering the country was once described as a “bottomless basket”, Bangladesh is currently the 37th largest economy globally, with a total GDP of $480 billion in 2022.
Its economy relies heavily on agriculture, with a significant portion dedicated to rice, fish, and vegetable production.
Overall, despite being a small country, it accommodates a massive population of approximately 170 million people, with Dhaka alone having a population of 23 million.
Aside from the high density of people living in Bangladesh, the presence of around 600,000 Bangladeshis living in Europe has played a vital role in showcasing their culture, commerce, and cuisine to the outside world.
He continued by describing the priorities for further cooperation between the EU and Bangladesh.
While having received €250 million to aid in the reception of Rohingya refugees, further collaboration is needed between the partners and other international organizations.
Finally, he recognized the need for enhanced collaboration on climate change.
The panel discussion further addressed a number of key issues for development in Bangladesh and its relations with the EU.
For instance, Member of the European Parliament Milan Zver stressed the need for human capacity development in Bangladesh and inclusive governance, with a specific focus on education, skills development, green inclusive development and energy efficiency.
Advocate Tarana Halim, former state minister of Post and Telecommunications of Bangladesh and current executive committee member of the Bangladesh Awami League, highlighted the need to turn the people of Bangladesh into a highly skilled workforce and to provide them with jobs.
John Cornet d'Elzius, director for Asia and the Pacific at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belgium stressed the importance of Bangladesh for Belgium as it is the fourth largest exporter to the country in the EU, having seen a steep increase in more recent years.
Belgium was one of the first countries to recognize Bangladesh after its independence and the country remains a key partner in the EU's Indo-Pacific Strategy and a key element in its strategy to move away from previous dependencies and in diversifying its partnerships.
With key assets like its very young and talented population, its remittances, investments and sustained GDP growth, Bangladesh is important for Belgium for imports, but also as a market for its products.
Nahim Razzaq, member of the Bangladesh Parliament, addressed the transition EU-Bangladesh relations have been going through, especially given the EU's focus on democracy, food, nutrition, sustainable development, education, and human development, now also having moved on to the green sector.
Bangladesh has not been able to pass on the right image of itself to the world.
He, therefore, identified three major areas for increased engagement between the EU and Bangladesh: trade and commerce, geopolitics and global cooperation, including in the Indo-Pacific and through the Global Gateway in technology and innovation, as well as security in the broad sense of its meaning (food security, climate change, defence, among others.