European Union Ambassador to Bangladesh Michael Miller has said Bangladesh is one of the world’s most dynamic economies and is likely to join the ranks of the world’s 30 largest economies by 2030 or shortly thereafter.
“You are one of the world’s most dynamic economies,” he said. “And I think if you look at the statistics, you’ll know that by 2030, certainly very shortly thereafter if not before, you will be amongst the biggest 30 economies in the entire world. So we know you have this potential.”
Miller made the remarks at a dialogue titled “Meet the Ambassador: Talking Diplomacy for Cooperation” at the Professor Mozaffar Ahmed Chowdhury Auditorium of Dhaka University on Tuesday.
The event was jointly organized by the Centre for Governance Studies (CGS) and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Bangladesh.
Miller said the EU recognized Bangladesh’s resilience and economic potential, but noted that European investment in the country remained modest compared with the scale of opportunity.
“Why then, we should ask ourselves, is investment from the EU still rather modest in scale compared to the opportunity that I have just marked out? We think that should change,” he said.
He said the EU was Bangladesh’s largest single source of foreign direct investment, but the volume remained below the level needed to fully support the country’s economic potential.
European companies, he said, could bring technology, standards, innovation and long-term capital to sectors such as energy, transport, water, digital services, health, education, logistics and manufacturing.
However, Miller said Bangladesh would need to strengthen investor confidence by ensuring transparency, policy predictability, regulatory clarity and a level playing field.
He said these measures would help create a more attractive environment for European businesses and encourage greater investment in Bangladesh.
Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Professor ABM Obaidul Islam, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences Professor Kazi Mohammad Mahbobor Rahman and CGS Chairman Zillur Rahman attended the event, along with teachers, students and invited guests.
In his remarks, the vice-chancellor called for stronger Bangladesh-EU cooperation in education, research, technology, climate, trade, human rights, governance and economic development.
He said diplomacy was not confined to government offices or international organizations but was directly linked to the lives and futures of younger generations.
Obaidul Islam also called for more opportunities for students to engage directly with diplomats and discuss international relations and global affairs.
Such initiatives, he said, would help students develop a global outlook, critical thinking and a sense of responsible citizenship.