The European Union wants its future economic engagement with Bangladesh to be “balanced, reciprocal and mutually beneficial”, EU Ambassador Michael Miller said today.
We are looking at Bangladesh as a partner of growing strategic importance,” Miller said while speaking at the Bay of Bengal Conversation 2026 in Dhaka.He described Bangladesh as a country of “scale, ambition and consequence” that matters in South Asia, the Bay of Bengal and the wider Indo-Pacific.The EU wants to move beyond the traditional donor-recipient relationship as Bangladesh approaches graduation from least developed country status, he said.The bloc is ready to match Bangladesh’s “speed and ambition”, including by exploring a future free trade agreement, Miller said. He added that deeper economic ties would also depend on accountable institutions, the rule of law, respect for labour and human rights, environmental protection and good governance.
“These issues are essential. They are not peripheral,” he said.
Strong institutions, independent oversight and predictable, inclusive decision-making would be needed for Bangladesh to withstand external, geoeconomic, climate, social and technological pressures, Miller said.He also called for Bangladesh to continue constitutional reform efforts that have been launched but remain incomplete, saying greater political consensus would be needed.
Referring to the EU’s Everything But Arms trade preference scheme, the ambassador said it had helped underpin Bangladesh’s development and contributed to lifting millions of people, including women, out of poverty.As Bangladesh moves beyond LDC status, he highlighted the need for a skilled workforce, diversified exports, stronger infrastructure and public administration reforms.
Greater foreign and domestic investment and meaningful jobs for young people would also require stronger institutions and greater accountability, he said.
Miller said the EU sought to combine European investment with technology, standards, innovation and long-term capital while maintaining its emphasis on values and institutional safeguards.
He said the EU’s pursuit of strategic autonomy did not mean isolation, turning inward or abandoning its values.
In an increasingly transactional world, the EU would continue to emphasise international law, rules-based trade, human rights, democratic accountability and multilateralism, he said.
