Bangladesh, EU Renew Commitment to Boost Migration, Mobility

Bangladesh and the European Union (EU) today reaffirmed their strong commitment to enhancing cooperation on migration and mobility, ahead of the 3rd Bangladesh-EU Migration and Mobility Dialogue in Dhaka.

The commitment was confirmed during a meeting between Michael Shotter, Director for Migration and Asylum at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, and Dr. Md. Nazrul Islam, Foreign Ministry Secretary (Bilateral), at the ministry’s office.

Dr. Islam lauded the EU’s consistent engagement with Bangladesh in promoting safe, orderly, and regular migration. He emphasized that skills-based migration remains a key priority for Dhaka’s partnership with Brussels and urged the EU to expand legal migration opportunities, especially through the Talent Partnership scheme.

Highlighting that over half of Bangladesh’s population is under 25, Dr. Islam said the country holds immense potential as a reliable partner in meeting Europe’s evolving labor market needs. He stressed that the EU could greatly benefit from Bangladesh’s expanding pool of skilled and semi-skilled workers through safe migration channels.

Dr. Islam also called for enhanced EU-funded training and certification programs in Bangladesh to align local workforce skills with European standards, pointing to successful examples from South Korea and Singapore. He proposed collaboration with local institutions such as the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) and Technical Training Centers (TTC) to build these initiatives.

Michael Shotter, leading the EU delegation to the ongoing Migration and Mobility Dialogue, updated Dr. Islam on the outcomes of the 9th Joint Working Group Meeting on Standard Operating Procedures for the Identification and Return of Persons without Authorization to Stay, as well as the 3rd Talent Partnership Roundtable held on September 9.

He praised Bangladesh’s proactive efforts to combat irregular migration and underscored the importance of maintaining the Returnee Case Management System.

Both sides expressed satisfaction with the progress of negotiations on the proposed Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA), noting that migration will remain a cornerstone of the broader Bangladesh-EU partnership.

The 3rd Bangladesh-EU Migration and Mobility Dialogue, held in Dhaka from September 8 to 10, brought together senior officials from both sides to discuss strengthened collaboration on regular migration, skills mobility, and return and reintegration programs.