Bangladesh agrees to EU conditions for trade benefits

Bangladesh has decided to amend its labour law and the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) law to comply with the European Union (EU) recommendations. 

The decision was announced by law minister Annisul Huq after a recent meeting of stakeholders and will be conveyed to the prime minister and the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

The amended laws will be introduced in parliament this winter, Huq said. Commerce minister Tofail Ahmed, junior minister for labour and employment Mujibul Haque, representatives of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) were present in the meeting, according to media reports in the country.

The EU had earlier called on Bangladesh to show tangible progress on labour rights to avoid temporarily losing the generalised system of preferences (GSP) benefit that allows the country duty-free export to the 28-nation economic bloc.

Bangladesh exported goods worth $18.68 billion to the EU in fiscal 2015-16, which was 54.57 per cent of the total receipts for the year.