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Execute 32 conventions to get GSP Plus: EU
Election exploratory mission due in July next
FE REPORTPublished :
May 09, 2023 10:42 PM
Updated :
May 09, 2023 10:43 PM
Bangladesh needs to comply with 32 international conventions to avail GSP Plus facilities until 2029, the European Union envoy said here on Tuesday.
It emphasised ratification and implementation of the conventions on environmental, labour, and human-rights standards, among others.
"…the goal in the coming years is to ensure a smooth transition to GSP Plus, and the guidelines for doing so are very clear," EU Ambassador to Bangladesh Charles Whitley told a press conference at a hotel in the city.
The envoys of Germany, France, Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark, Italy and Spain attended the briefing, when it was disclosed that an EU exploratory mission is expected to arrive here in July to assess the feasibility of sending election observers to Bangladesh.
Mr Whitley noted that Bangladesh's exports to the EU went up by 50 per cent despite the pandemic and war effect. To make sure it happens smoothly, and happily, he added, a European Chamber of Commerce would become operational this year.
"We're also working and will launch this year negotiations on a new generation agreement. So what we call a partnership and cooperation agreement or PCA" he said.
"This new agreement will cover all sorts of policy areas from climate change, energy, cybersecurity and maritime science and technology to trade, and if you're interested in seeing an example of how comprehensive those agreements are."
He said that the EU is changing the way it does support Bangladesh.
"We no longer refer to ourselves as development partners. We're international partners, and one of the vehicles for that international partnership now in terms of assistance is the Global Gateway scheme."
"And I'm very happy that here in Bangladesh, we will have a flagship programme on the Global Gateway as a Global Gateway, as you might know, is designed to support infrastructure around the world," he said.
"And we do it differently than others. We don't do it in the way of some other of the big partners of Bangladesh, who will be providing large scale loans."
Focusing on human rights, the EU envoy said: "A very agreement that we conclude with any country has a clause on human rights and democracy".
On the upcoming national election, he quoted a European Union-hired representative as saying: "We're ready to deploy an election observation mission. And we've now received an invitation from the election commission to deploy our observation mission. We need that as a kind of security to show that there'll be no impediments to deploying."
"And our first stage of that will be an exploratory mission coming in July, for several days to talk to all stakeholders, whether that be the election commission, whether it be the parties, whether it be civil society, whether it be the media, of course, because it's a very well rounded approach."
The mission will not just look at the electoral machinery, it will be looking at all the surrounding circumstances that are important in an election and that can include also for example, security, he added.
Italian Ambassador to Bangladesh Enrico Nunziata said that in the coming years, legal migration from Bangladesh to Italy would further rise and last year over 10,000 migration-related visas were issued for Bangladeshis.
France Ambassador Marie MASDUPUY underscored the need for sustainable humanitarian support to the Rohingya refugees in the wake of fall in international assistance.
Swedish Ambassador Alexandra Berg von Linde lauded the Indo-Pacific Outlook announced by Bangladesh.
Danish Ambassador Winnie Estero Peterson said that as the biggest trade and investment partner, the EU wants to ensure compliance in the value chain.
German envoy Achim Tröster highlighted the poverty alleviation drive steered by the EU countries in Bangladesh, saying that over 500 million Euro was provided as budget support to Bangladesh in recent times.
Spanish envoy Ignacio Siles Fernández-Palacios underscored the need for improving labour relations to ensure EU facilities in trade and investment.
mirmostafiz@yahoo.com
Execute 32 conventions to get GSP Plus: EU
Bangladesh needs to comply with 32 international conventions to avail GSP Plus facilities until 2029, the European Union envoy said here on Tuesday. It emphasised ratification and implementation of the conventions on environmental, labour, and human-rights standards, among others. "…the go
