The EU aims to establish a comprehensive partnership and cooperation agreement with Bangladesh

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has recently conveyed, in a letter to Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, the EU's interest in signing a Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with Bangladesh.

A spokesperson from the chief adviser's press wing stated on Monday that the EU aims to strengthen its ongoing collaboration with Bangladesh while exploring new opportunities for partnership under the proposed agreement.

In the letter, the EC president emphasized the EU’s readiness to support a peaceful and inclusive reform process in Bangladesh, grounded in democratic principles, human rights, and the rule of law, ultimately leading to transparent and credible elections.

Ms. von der Leyen commended Dr. Yunus's dedication to sustainable development, the green transition, combating corruption, and advancing the digitalization of financial systems. She noted that the EU is already actively collaborating with Bangladesh on these fronts and looks forward to deepening ties through the potential partnership agreement.

She highlighted the EU’s openness to engaging with sectoral partners to address specific needs and align additional support with ongoing initiatives. 

“There is considerable potential for EU investments under the Global Gateway initiative in areas such as secure and reliable networks, railways, water resource management, climate adaptation, healthcare, digital infrastructure, and energy,” she wrote, adding that the EU is collaborating with Bangladeshi authorities to enhance the capacity of key institutions.

The EC president also stressed the importance of integrating targeted technical assistance to support policy development and governance, leveraging EU expertise wherever applicable. 

She affirmed her commitment to ensuring the smooth implementation of EU-Bangladesh cooperation and proposed the establishment of regular coordination meetings to facilitate strategic dialogue, provide updates on EU programs, review ongoing support, and address new requests in line with shared priorities. 

Ms. von der Leyen concluded by reiterating the EU’s dedication to strengthening its partnership with Bangladesh.