The main challenge for the new government of Bangladesh lies in sustaining the impressive growth achieved by it over the last decade, Rensje Teerink, EU Ambassador to Bangladesh said on Saturday.
The EU is keen to enhance its engagement with the new government to help it strengthen democracy which is closely linked to sustainable development, said the EU ambassador, while presenting her keynote speech at a dialogue on the future of Bangladesh-EU relations.
The EU envoy stressed the need for ensuring common and shared benefits of the economic growth achieved by Bangladesh.
Poverty can only be reduced partially, if the growth dividend is not distributed to all equally, she added.
Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque was the chief guest at the programme chaired by Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, Principal Research Fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS) of the National University of Singapore.
Issues like the EU Generalised System of Preference (GSP) facility, Rohingya problem and migration to Europe also came up for discussion in the dialogue organised by the Cosmos Foundation at the Six Season Hotel in the capital.
Cosmos Foundation Chairman Enayetullah Khan delivered the welcome address.
On the GSP Plus facility, the EU envoy said it is not like that Bangladesh will automatically become eligible for it as it (Bangladesh) will have to ratify, implement and accept 27 core conventions on human rights, environment and good governance standards.
She called for setting up a relevant taskforce to establish a multi-annual reform action plan to ratify the conventions.
Ms Teerink stressed the need for export diversification to accelerate the export growth.
She urged all concerned to take up the export diversification issue as a 'political priority.'
The EU envoy said though progress was made in factory safety in the readymade garment (RMG) sector, a lot needed to be done, especially in the area of freedom of association.
"Without an effective and functioning social dialogue, sustainable industrial development would be difficult to achieve in Bangladesh" she added.
The EU ambassador said they are committed to working with the civil society of Bangladesh as they look back at the enormous role played by the big non-government organisations (NGOs) in Bangladesh.
She said this is an area where they want to continue working together as the civil society with all its diversity represents a crucial component of any democracy. "So it is an asset to promote good governance, and improve accountability," she added.
Ambassador Teerink said human rights are the integral part of the EU-Bangladesh relationship and they find that it is crucial for stability, economic growth and for the development of Bangladesh.
Lauding Bangladesh for sheltering thousands of Rohingya, Ambassador Teerink said the EU has committed to continue mobilising political support, humanitarian assistance at bilateral and multilateral levels to help iron out a lasting solution to this crisis.
Sharing EU's concern in few areas, she said they remain concerned about Digital Security Act that was adopted in 2018.
The EU ambassador said they still call upon the government of Bangladesh to continue consultation on this law to make sure this act is brought in accordance with the international declaration of human rights and the Constitution of Bangladesh.
Terming the EU the centerpiece of the country's foreign policy, Foreign Secretary Haque said that both the EU and Bangladesh had good understanding.
On the GSP Plus issue, the foreign secretary said that the time was ripe for both Bangladesh and the EU to discuss the issue.
He also pointed out that the whole business environment needed to be revisited in view of the GSP Plus.
The foreign secretary also mentioned that the EU and Bangladesh were working to ensure safe migration.
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