The European Union has opened a new chapter in its relationship with Bangladesh with the visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Brussels for the first-ever “global gateway” summit.
The prime minister had a flurry of meetings during her two-day stay in Brussels when she witnessed the signing of deals related to financing renewable energy.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) also showed interest in the prime minister’s proposal to have a vaccine production facility in Bangladesh. She left for Bangladesh last night.
Global Gateway is being dubbed as the western version of China’s belt and road initiative (BRI) with this new initiative the European Union is aimed at investing in different types of projects for the countries that need support for infrastructure development to healthcare and education.
“This new chapter in our partnership is starting off really well,” European Commission President von der Leyen said as she witnessed the signing of €400 million investment for Bangladesh with Prime Minister Hasina on October 25, the first-day of her visit.
They also launched the negotiations on a “new partnership and cooperation agreement” to expand and develop the relationship following the celebration of 50 years of Bangladesh and EU relations.
“I am very glad to welcome you to Brussels, as we celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations between Bangladesh and the European Union. In all these years, we have built a Solid Partnership. And now we will take it to the next level,” the European Commission president said as she invited the prime minister to the summit.
“Global Gateway will invest close to EUR 1 billion in Bangladesh. And we will not stop there. We are working together with the EIB to improve the connectivity in your country – we discussed that, too – from your port infrastructure to railways, and digital infrastructure. There are many great projects that we have in the pipeline,” she added.
Sheikh Hasina expressed hope that the Global Gateway would become “a great connector for lasting peace and sustainable development”.
She urged the global leaders to stop wars, conflicts and arms race for a better future.
She also highlighted Bangladesh’s socio-economic development over the last 15 years and lauded the EU's focus on transport corridors, health security, green energy, digital transformation, research and innovation under the Global Gateway initiative.
The premier sought the continuation of the EU’s trade preferences beyond 2029 for Bangladesh’s smooth LDC graduation.
General elections
The European Union is the largest market for Bangladesh’s exports where all products enjoy duty-free facilities. Democracy is one of the key components of the EU’s engagement with Bangladesh.
With the general election to be held in January and the opposition continuing to express their no-confidence over the election oversight, the prime minister during her meeting with European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen highlighted her party Bangladesh Awami League’s struggle to restore democracy in the country.
She also mentioned that the Awami League created “an enabling environment for free and fair elections including establishment of an independent Election Commission, photo ID/biometric information-based voter list and transparent ballot boxes”.
“The European Commissioner hoped that the upcoming general elections in Bangladesh would be held in a free and fair environment,” according to the Foreign Ministry statement.
The European Commissioner lauded the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Bangladesh-EU partnership and expressed the EU’s commitment to further deepen this relationship.
She underscored potential areas of cooperation on investment in energy transition, digital infrastructure, transport corridors, human capital development and decent work in this regard.
Ideal place for vaccine production
The prime minister sought EIB’s support for vaccine production in the country when its President Dr Werner Hoyer called on her.
Sheikh Hasina informed him about the measures taken by the government to develop a vaccine production facility and a molecular testing laboratory.
She suggested that EIB extend support for necessary infrastructure development for these initiatives.
The prime minister reiterated that Bangladesh could support the EU's efforts to diversify production of pharmaceuticals, vaccines and medical equipment.
The EIB president referred to the loan package of 250 million euros signed in 2021. He shared that the disbursement of the amount would commence soon for the purpose of strengthening the health system.
He observed that Bangladesh was in “an ideal situation to roll out vaccine production”.
The prime minister also discussed possible support measures for combating dengue outbreaks, including through vaccines, the Foreign Ministry said.
She requested EIB to consider supporting river dredging, water conservation and surface irrigation.
She also mentioned the initiatives taken by her government to build dual-track railways to promote cost-effective passenger and container traffic.
The premier appreciated the interest of different multilateral development banks in financing such impactful connectivity projects.
Additional funding for Rohingya
The Rohingya crisis also gets a place during the meetings of the prime minister. The issue dominated the talk with European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič who called on the Prime Minister at her hotel suite in Brussels.
During the meeting, the European commissioner lauded Bangladesh’s outstanding socio-economic development under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
He also lauded Bangladesh’s success in disaster management including the early-warning system.
He commended Bangladesh for its generous hosting of the Rohingyas and announced an additional €10.5 million in assistance for the Rohingyas, the foreign ministry said.
The prime minister thanked the EU for its continued support to Bangladesh’s disaster management, particularly in earthquake preparedness.
She sought support of the international community including the EU for an early, safe and sustainable repatriation of the forcibly displaced Rohingyas, temporarily sheltered in Bangladesh, to their homeland Myanmar for the sake of peace and stability in the region.