Bangladesh would lose all trade preferences it receives as a least developed country from the European Union if it becomes a middle-income country.
“The legal consequence is that your country would then lose this privileged access regime to the EU,” the newly appointed EU Ambassador to Dhaka Mayaudon Pierre told at a press conference at a city hotel yesterday.
The country should start negotiation for GSP plus scheme to continue duty-free and quota-free access to the EU market, he said. Dhaka has announced it would want to become a middle-income country by 2021.
Bangladesh enjoys duty-free access under everything but arms [EBA] initiative of the EU and it exports over 10 billion euro worth of products to the EU market.
The ambassador said Bangladesh needs to sign 27 international core conventions in the areas of human rights, labour rights, environment and governance.
Dhaka needs to sign, ratify and implement the convention, he said.
“Bangladesh will not be eligible for consideration by the EU to get GSP plus until and unless it complies with a combination of stringent conditions,” Pierre said.
The envoy said the EU has sent a clear message to the government to implement Compact Sustainability to ensure labour rights in the country.
“A lot has been done but much more needs to be done. This is the key message conveyed to GoB (government of Bangladesh) on Ocotber 20 in Brussels,” he said.
Nobody can allow another Rana Plaza tragedy to happen, he said. About development cooperation programme, he said the new programme is going to start for 2014-2020 period this year.
The assistance covers three areas – education and skills development, nutrition and food security, and strengthening democratic governance, Pierre continued.
