MEP Karim renews calls for EU to make trade space for Bangladesh

Trade Chief and Member of European Parliament (MEP) Sajjad Karim has renewed his calls for trade space to be created for Bangladesh in order to help the ongoing Rohingya crisis.

Dr Karim posed the question to the Commissioner for Trade, Cecilia Malmström, in the International Trade (INTA) Committee within the European Parliament, where he stated his concern at the extra burdens placed on the Bangladeshi government by the huge influx of refugees from across the border in Myanmar.

The appeal by the British MEP follows an intervention last month where he expressed the same desire to see trade space created for the South Asian country.

Speaking in Brussels during the meeting on Thursday, the British MEP said, “Bangladesh is dealing with the Rohingya refugee crisis at this moment in time. Is there anything that we can do to allocate some extra trading space for them to help cope with the difficulties that they are facing, on top of all of the assistance that we are providing?”

Dr Karim also expressed his support for Bangladesh to graduate from the status of a Least Developed Country (LDC), which they wish to achieve by 2021, according to a message UNB received on Thursday night.

“Their [Bangladeshi] government has this ambition to move from LDC status to middle-income status. They are on that path - it is good that we encourage that - but there is going to be a need there for us to ensure that they can move from EBA (Everything But Arms) to GSP+ (Generalised Scheme of Preferences) as well.

“What preparations can we start to put in place to ensure that we can work with them to achieve that goal?”

Responding to Dr Karim, Commissioner Malmström’s said that on the Rohingya crisis the EU is providing “a lot of support”, saying however, that there are “concerns” on the human rights situation in Bangladesh, but that “good progress” is being made on the sustainability compact.

Dr Karim chairs the South Asia Trade Monitoring Committee within the European Parliament, which includes Bangladesh within its remit.

Source: unb