S.M. Mannan (Kochi), President of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), has urged the European Union (EU) to keep supporting Bangladesh’s RMG sector, especially by prolonging the transition period from Everything But Arms (EBA) to GSP Plus.
According to him, this extension is essential to guarantee that Bangladesh may continue to thrive economically even after it is removed from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category. Mannan made these remarks during a high-level delegation meeting on Sunday that included ambassadors and delegates from the European Union, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain, and Italy, according to a press release.
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 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 Attache at the Spanish Embassy Esther Perez Tahoces and Trade Advisor to EU Delegation to Bangladesh Abu Syed Belal.
The meeting, held at BGMEA Complex on Sunday, saw active participation from leaders of BGMEA including Senior Vice President Khandoker Rafiqul Islam, Vice President Arshad Jamal (Dipu), Vice President (Finance) Md. Nasir Uddin, Vice President Miran Ali, Vice President Abdullah Hil Rakib, Directors Asif Ashraf, Md. Imranur Rahman, Shovon Islam, Haroon Ar Rashid, Mohammad Sohel Sadat, Md. Ashikur Rahman (Tuhin), Shams Mahmud, Abrar Hossain Sayem, Md. Mohiuddin Rubel, Barrister Shehrin Salam Oishee, Md. Nurul Islam, Saifuddin Siddiquie Sagar, Md. Rezaul Alam (Miru), and Chairman of BGMEA Standing Committee on ILO and Labour Affairs A N M Saifuddin,
The president of the BGMEA gave a brief summary of Bangladesh’s ready-made garment (RMG) industry during the conference, highlighting new advancements in worker welfare and workplace safety.
To strengthen the industry’s ability to handle the due diligence requirement and other new procedures, he asked the EU envoy for collaboration. The president of the BGMEA thanked the EU and recognised its important role as Bangladesh’s longtime friend and key development partner.
To guarantee reasonable prices and ethical sourcing, he also asked the envoys to interact with European purchasers. The leaders of the BGMEA underlined their dedication to fortifying their cooperation with the EU on common objectives.
