A European Union delegation visiting Bangladesh has underlined the country should amend the labour law meant for export processing zones (EPZs) by 2023 instead of 2025 so as to become eligible for the new Everything But Arms (EBA) scheme.
Media reports maintained this adding the EU delegation had earlier expressed concerns over the delay in amending the EPZ labour law even if during a reported unscheduled meeting with Commerce Secretary Tapan Kanti Ghosh, the delegation called for expediting the amendment process while also, reportedly, adding EU was assessing whether compliance to human and labour rights laws was in tune with the new EBA conditions.
Meanwhile, speaking to the media, Joint Secretary to the Commerce Ministry, Md. Abdur Rahim Khan, said, “…we have asked the EU for considering Bangladesh’s proposal for amending the EPZ labour law by 2025,” while also claiming a lot of progress has already been made for the amendment.
