The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) reiterated its call to the European Union to extend the transition period for continuing the duty facility under the Everything But Arms (EBA) scheme.
This extension, the apparel apex body said, is very important to help Bangladesh sustain its economic growth after graduation from the least-developed country (LDC) club.
BGMEA President SM Mannan Kochi made the request on Sunday when a high-level delegation comprising ambassadors and representatives from the European Union, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain and Italy paid a courtesy call at the trade body's Uttara office in Dhaka.
Bangladesh will lose its current Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) facility with the European Union after 2026 as the country is scheduled to graduate from LDC status. However, the EU will continue to provide duty-free access under its EBA scheme until 2029 as a transition period.
The BGMEA also sought cooperation from the European Union (EU) to build capacity of the industry to deal better with due diligence requirements and other emerging protocols.
The high-level delegation included Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh Charles Whiteley, Ambassador of Denmark Christian Brix-Moller, Ambassador of Germany Achim Troster, Ambassador of Italy Antonio Alessando, Ambassador of Sweden Alexandra Berg Von Linde, Chargé d'affaires of the Netherlands Embassy Thijs Woudstra, Deputy Head of EU Delegation Bernd Spanier, Commercial Attaché at the Spanish Embassy Esther Pérez Tahoces and Trade Advisor to EU Delegation to Bangladesh Abu Syed Belal.
BGMEA vice presidents Khandoker Rafiqul Islam, Arshad Jamal (Dipu), Md Nasir Uddin, Miran Ali, Abdullah Hil Rakib, among other board of directors were also present.
Seeking EU's support and extension to the EBA facility, the BGMEA President said "This extension is crucial to ensure that Bangladesh can sustain its economic growth even after graduating from the LDC category."
He sought cooperation from the EU delegation to build capacity of the industry to deal better with due diligence requirements and other emerging protocols.
Expressing gratitude to the EU, acknowledging its significant role as a long-standing friend and major development contributor to Bangladesh, Mr Kochi also requested the delegation to engage with European buyers to ensure fair pricing and ethical sourcing.
During the meeting, he provided an overview of Bangladesh's ready-made garment (RMG) industry, emphasising recent developments in workplace safety and worker well-being.
The EU is the largest export destination for Bangladesh's RMG products. Bangladesh exported $23.52 billion out of its total RMG exports of $46.99 billion in the last fiscal year.
munni_fe@yahoo.com