Brussels, 22/05/2000 (Agence Europe) - EU Council President Jaime Gama, Commissioner Chris Patten and Trade Minister for Bangladesh, Abdul Jalil, signed on Monday the EU/Bangladesh framework cooperation agreement. Once ratified by the European Parliament, this accord will replace the one in force since 1976. Concluded in February 1999, the new agreement concerns economic, trade and political cooperation. It includes a human rights clause with suspensory effect. Pursuing the current strategy, cooperation will essentially focus on aid for the most disadvantaged populations, through programmes concerning basic training, health, mobilisation of civil society and work with local NGOs, reports the Commission.
The European Commission provides annual aid of around EUR 95 million for Bangladesh. The EU and the Member States together provide between 15 and 20% of the USD 2 billion in annual aid for this country, including aid in the form of loans, and up to 30% of the total, not counting loans.
Negotiation of the new agreement, launched in April 1997, wa blocked for some time due to disagreement over the clause concerning readmission of illegal immigrants.