Press release

European Commission joined the donor consortium of the International Finance. The second session of the EC-Bangladesh Joint Commission was held in Brussels on 19^th November 2003. The event was co-chaired by Mr Hervẻ Jouanjean, Deputy Director-General for Asia and Latin America, DG External Relations of the European Commission and Mr Suhel Ahmed, Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, Government of Bangladesh. The EC-Bangladesh Joint Commission was established in the framework of the third generation Co-operation Agreement signed in May 2000, and its first session was held in Dhaka in November 2001. Since then, four specialised sub-groups have convened on trade development, economic co-operation, human rights and governance, and social development co-operation.

The objective of the Joint Commission is to ensure the proper functioning and implementation of the Cooperation Agreement. The second session was therefore an opportunity to take stock of progress in all areas of cooperation, in particular trade issues including the post-MFA scenario, social development and governance and human rights. The day-long meeting was held in a constructive spirit, reflecting the density of the cooperation.

There was agreement on the need to continue working together to relaunch the WTO process following Cancun. The Bangladeshi side underlined the importance of the EC, as Bangladesh’s largest trading partner, to assist the country in strengthening further its trade related capacity development and export potential as well as in supporting its endeavours to integrate into the multilateral trading system. The Bangladeshi side emphasised the importance of a mutually beneficial and truly rewarding action programme, reoriented to address evolving priorities. The EC drew the attention of the Bangladeshi side to the need to address shipping issues (revision of the Flag Vessel Protection Ordinance, regulatory framework for freight forwarders).

The meeting was also an opportunity to discuss social development issues. Both sides appreciated the usefulness of the sector wide approach, implemented in the health and education sectors in Bangladesh. Efforts will continue to improve the effectiveness of the design and impact of sector wide programmes. The EC also raised the issue of governance in project implementation and insisted on the need for urgent resolution of the investigations into certain NGOs.

On human rights and governance issues, both sides welcomed the recently established human rights dialogue and agreed to continue this dialogue with a view to identifying areas where the EC can provide concrete support to reform initiatives of the government. They also agreed that the primacy of the rule of law is key to ensure the proper functioning of democratic institutions. The EC side reaffirmed the need for urgent progress on governance and the rule of law in order to fight poverty and to promote transparency and accountability. The EC noted the commitment of Bangladesh to the human rights clause in the Co-operation Agreement.

The Bangladeshi delegation included H.E. Mr Syed Maudud Ali, Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the European Community, Mr K.M.S.A. Kaiser, Division Chief at the Planning Commission, Mrs. Nasreen Begum, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, as well as other diplomats of the Bangladesh Mission to the EC. On the EC side, the participation included Mr Esko Kentrschynskyj, Head of the EC Delegation in Bangladesh as well as other officials from DG External Relations, DG Trade, EuropeAid Co-operation Office and the EC Delegation in Bangladesh.