Brussels: Bangladesh and the European Union (EU) on Monday initialled the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) in Brussels as both sides aim to elevate their relationship by further institutionalising bilateral cooperation. Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr Md Nazrul Islam and Deputy Managing Director of the EU’s Asia and Pacific Division at the European External Action Service Paola Pampaloni initialled the PCA on behalf of Bangladesh and the EU respectively.
According to United News of Bangladesh, Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman and EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas were present to witness the signing. The PCA will serve as a legal and political foundation for a strategic and long-term Bangladesh-EU relationship, said officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The agreement is expected to strengthen relations across a range of policy areas, including human rights, governance, trade, investment, environmental sustainability, climate change, food security, energy, transport, and science, technology, and innovation. The PCA represents a significant milestone as Bangladesh moves towards becoming the first South Asian country to sign such an agreement with the European Union.
The fifth round of negotiations on the framework agreement was held in January this year, during which both sides finalised the text. Negotiations began with an explanatory meeting in Dhaka in November 2024, followed by five rounds of discussions and several technical meetings held in both Dhaka and Brussels, both physically and virtually.
The fifth round concentrated on key thematic areas of mutual interest, including legal and judicial cooperation, intellectual property rights, energy cooperation, fisheries, aquaculture, ocean governance, trade and investment, human rights, and customs cooperation.