The proposed Comprehensive Partnership Agreement (CPA) between Bangladesh and the European Union is expected to deepen bilateral relations and create significant new opportunities in trade and investment, a senior EU official has said.
Paola Pampaloni, Visiting Acting Managing Director for Asia-Pacific at the European External Action Service (EEAS), made the remarks during a courtesy call on Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser, Professor Muhammad Yunus, at the State Guest House Jamuna in Dhaka on Tuesday.
According to a statement from the Chief Adviser’s Office, the meeting covered a wide range of issues relating to Bangladesh–EU relations, including ongoing negotiations on the framework agreement for the CPA, the country’s upcoming general elections and referendum, efforts to combat irregular migration, and ways to expand bilateral trade and investment.
Pampaloni noted that negotiations on the CPA, which formally began in November 2024, followed two decades of cooperation under a general partnership arrangement. She welcomed the progress made so far in the talks and said the agreement was expected to provide a structured framework for strengthening political and economic ties between the two sides.
Professor Yunus described the CPA as one of the most important agreements for Bangladesh, saying it would help consolidate and strengthen relations with the European Union.
Pampaloni also said that the head of the EU Election Observation Mission was due to arrive in Bangladesh later this week and would hold a series of meetings with political leaders and relevant authorities as part of the mission’s preparations.
The meeting was also attended by Lutfey Siddiqi, special envoy of the Chief Adviser; Lamiya Morshed, SDG coordinator and senior secretary; and Michael Miller, the European Union’s ambassador to Bangladesh.
