Bangladesh on the move

With all his bags packed and ready for the flight next day, Mayaudon prepared for his last day of office in Dhaka on August 20. Having completed his three years of his tenure here, his next assignment will be Afghanistan. With all the humbleness and generosity,

the Frenchman expressed that it is a blessing for a diplomat to be posted in Bangladesh because EU enjoys remarkable exposure here which is not due to anyone’s personal capacity but as a whole. We began by discussing the challenges going forward and the issue of trade with the European

Union, which itself has gone through a major change. He began by saying that a bond has been created through the economic relations between EU and Bangladesh, driven by the market access regime. He wished for continuity because the European market might not be shrinking and the government needs to venture into new markets. In the duty-free benefit scheme covering everything but arms, 60% of Bangladesh’s export go to the European Union, which is remarkable according to the ambassador. He mentioned that an important mandate of his mission here was to try and identify a way to make trade relations more holistic and global. He observed that the EU is satisfied with Bangladesh’s progress in poverty elevation and women empowerment; however, much better relations are needed as Bangladesh looks forward to becoming a middle income country. In terms of challenges, he also noted that while the government may need more FDI, it was not coming. This was alarming when compared to the state of other countries. For European business, he said that the problems faced are in taxation, customs, licenses and repatriation of dividends and sometimes capital. He point out one specific industrial sector: the pharmaceuticals. He said that Bangladesh should drastically improve its ranking in the index for the ease of doing business, improving upon its current position of 176th. Highlighting the good sides though, he mentioned that there have been success stories with Europe in supplying technology and equipment for the Bangabandhu satellite. Another important improvement came in Bangladesh now allowing Europeans to hold majority shares of a company which was for some time restricted to 40 percent. For a free, fair, inclusive and transparent next general election, he said that political stability, as prevailing now, was important because things happening in 2018 and 2019 will be crucial for the country’s 2021 vision and also its golden jubilee.He then mentioned that Bangladesh has a wonderful civil society and the world’s largest NGO and stability must continue for businesses in the private sectors as well.

When the post BREXIT period was brought up, Mayaudon said it was good news for nobody; it was a matter of disappointment for many.He said that although Bangladesh is located in a region which is less integrated with the world, it is high time that Bangladesh be involved in free trade globally. Once Bangladesh reaches the status of MIC it can apply for GSP plus and that will be benefitted for its economy, he said. “We are talking about 7 years from now but there will be 3 years of transition after the status but preparation should be taken from now.” In this regard, he pointed out that Bangladesh needs.

needs to meet and properly implement the 27 UN conventions in the field of human rights, labor rights, environment and governance. The outgoing ambassador concluded that Bangladesh showed a good trend but it was not enough. He said that the country has done good work with the labor issue with international support and emphasized that maintaining good perception is equally important for all the sectors.

Before coming to Bangladesh, Mayaudon held office in Pakistan. In regard to progress in the South Asian Region, he said that Bangladesh was more progressive and had a good dynamics but that it should not neglect its security issue and make the local government more inclusive.

Ending with a smile, the ambassador said, “The Country is on the move.”