Dear Visitors,

Welcome to the website of the EU Delegation to the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.

The golden anniversary of Bangladesh in 2021 - and the 50^th anniversary of EU-Bangladesh relations in 2023 - provide the perfect impetus for deepening our ties. Those relations encompass so many fields.

The EU is Bangladesh’s principal trading partner. As a Least Developed Country - now poised to graduate to developing country status - Bangladesh has made good use of duty- and quota-free access to the EU market, garnering over a 60% share of global imports to the EU  under the ‘Everything But Arms’ system. The industriousness of its people and the appetite of the world for its products have transformed Bangladesh into a readymade garment powerhouse, with rapidly developing potential in many other export sectors. The EU is supporting endeavours by the Government of Bangladesh, the private sector and other stakeholders to further improve labour standards, health and safety and the protection of rights in order to enhance this success story.

Our policy and funding partnership with Bangladesh supports action in numerous fields, from climate change to public finance management, from education and women’s empowerment to village courts. Working together on the green transition will be one of our major shared concerns in the coming years. The EU furnishes direct support to a wide range of civil society organisations. The EU will continue to deliver substantial humanitarian and other assistance as Bangladesh grapples with the unprecedented challenges posed by hosting over 1 million Rohingya refugees.

People-to-people ties are an essential aspect of EU-Bangladesh relations. A good example is the EU’s Erasmus+ scheme, which provides scholarships each year to students from Bangladesh. 139 recipients are undertaking Master of Arts courses in 2021-22.

In the wider world, the EU and Bangladesh have much in common, including our respective commitment to UN peacekeeping, faith in multilateral solutions to global problems and engagement in all aspects of climate change.

These are just snapshots of relations between the EU and Bangladesh. Our web pages provide many more details. To draw from the beautiful Bangla language: শুভ পড়া (“Happy reading”).

Charles Whiteley,

Ambassador and Head of Delegation.