UNB, Dhaka :Bangladesh should start work right now to avail itself of benefits in the European market under the ‘GSP Plus’initiative by complying stringent conditions, said newly appointed Ambassador and Head of EU Delegation to Bangladesh Pierre Mayaudon on Wednesday.”Let me be clear, Bangladesh won’t be eligible for consideration by the EU to get GSP Plus until and unless it complies with a combination of stringent conditions,” he told a press conference in the city.The EU has granted Bangladesh Everything but Arms (EBA), an initiative of the EU under which all imports to the EU market from the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) are duty- and quota-free with the exception of armaments.However, Bangladesh will lose this privilege access regime to the EU once Bangladesh turns a middle-income country (MIC) by 2021, said the EU envoy mentioning, “Considering 2021 is not that far away, the work should start now.”GSP Plus is an incentive for the countries that have signed, ratified and are properly implementing 27 international core conventions in the areas of human rights, labour rights, environment and governance.Responding to a question, Mayaudon said as an MIC Bangladesh will be eligible to apply for the GSP Plus regime. “It offers generous preferences and almost similar benefits like EBA.” He was seen very much optimistic about Bangladesh’s target to reach the ambitious horizon if all stakeholders, NGOs, all parties and external stakeholders can work together.”Bangladesh is enjoying a robust and steady economic growth that could make it a middle-income country by 2021. This would be a fantastic success story, just 50 years after the Liberation,” he said.The envoy said the EU is very glad to continue working with Bangladesh towards inclusive development.On work on Sustainability Compact implementation, he said all will have to work collectively, almost day and night, for the commitments taken in the Compact to translate those into a reality.
