No EU-Bangladesh FTA in foreseeable future

There is no possibility of signing a free trade agreement (FTA) with Bangladesh in the foreseeable future because of the complexity related to the issue as well as bloc's lack of interest, said Charles Whiteley, head of the delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh, today.

This is not going to happen because of the degree of complexity, and the trade relations between the two sides are not yet at the stage where "we would be genuinely interested on the EU side to negotiate an FTA", he said. 

The ambassador was speaking at an event titled "Strengthening Bangladesh-EU Trade and Economic Cooperation: Issues and Policy Priorities" at the Sheraton hotel in Dhaka.

The Research and Policy Integration for Development (RAPID) and private German non-profit organisation FES Bangladesh jointly organised the event.

Bangladesh will have to sign trade deals with trading partners to ensure preferential market access following its graduation to a developing nation in 2026.