The Bangladesh government would seek extended support from the European Union (EU) for developing its areas of infrastructure, energy and trade under the proposed seven-year cooperation programme that starts in 2014, officials said Thursday.
"We will sit with the EU at its headquarters in Brussels next week. We will seek higher support for five more development areas in addition to their present cooperation in three limited areas," said Additional Secretary of the Economic Relations Division (ERD) Abul Mansur Md. Faizullah.
"On March 19, I would leave Dhaka for Brussels to attend the Asian consultation seminar, scheduled to be held on March 20-21, where the bilateral economic cooperation between EU and Bangladesh government is expected to be framed," he told the FE.
Mr Faizullah said Bangladesh would request the EU for extending its support to five new sectors, in addition to the present three sectors, in the upcoming country assistance strategy between the years 2014 and 2020.
"We would seek assistance for developing infrastructure, trade, energy and power, transport, and health sectors," the ERD additional secretary said.
Presently, the EU supports Bangladesh in three sectors including Human Rights and Democracy, Food Security and Nutrition, and Education and Skill Development.
The EU altogether provides about Euro 470 million to Bangladesh a year, official statistics showed. The EU usually provides grants for the development of Bangladesh.
Under the EU-Bangladesh Strategy Paper (2007-2013), the European nations have provided financial assistance and economic support in a bid to bolster economic growth and cutting poverty.
"The Bangladesh side will apprise the EU of the country's five-year development plan and the perspective plan. The EU is expected to consider requirement of the economic support as per Bangladesh's development plan and programmes," Mr Faizullah said.
He said they would also request the EU for extending the support from its Asian Investment Facility (AIF), a wing of the EU, so that different lenders inside the European nations could extend their financial support to Bangladesh.
"We need soft loan from the major European lenders like the French AFD and European Investment Bank (EIB) for improving infrastructure and cutting poverty," the ERD additional secretary said.
