Bangladeshi apparel exporters urged the European Union to continue their support to getting market access after LDC graduation for the development of the industry.
This request was made during a meeting with a high-level delegation comprising ambassadors and representatives from the European Union, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain and Italy who paid a courtesy call on SM Mannan (Kochi), President of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), reads a press statement.
The 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 Alessandro, 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.
The meeting, was held at BGMEA Complex. Prominent leaders of BGMEA including Senior Vice President Khandoker Rafiqul Islam, Vice President Arshad Jamal (Dipu) were present at the meeting. During the meeting, BGMEA President SM Mannan provided an overview of Bangladesh’s ready-made garment (RMG) industry, emphasising recent developments in workplace safety, and workers’ well-being.
He has called on the European Union (EU) to continue its support for Bangladesh’s RMG industry, particularly by extending the transition period from Everything But Arms (EBA) to GSP Plus. This extension he added is crucial to ensure that Bangladesh can sustain its economic growth even after graduating from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category, he said.
He sought cooperation from the EU envoy to build the capacity of the industry to deal better with due diligence directives and other emerging protocols. He also requested the envoys to engage with European buyers to ensure fair pricing and ethical sourcing.
