PORIMOL PALMA

Bangladesh and the European Union (EU) will initial the Comprehensive Partnership Agreement (CPA) tomorrow, adding a new dimension to the relationship that will boost trade, investment and other areas based on equal footing.

Initialling the CPA means the agreement will have a legal basis, with the draft finalised and agreed upon by both sides in January this year following five sessions of negotiation since 2024. However, the CPA will take a few months for translation to 24 European languages before it is signed.

The CPA will be initialled in the presence of Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas in Brussels, said ministry officials.

Khalilur Rahman will fly to Brussels today.

Officials said Bangladesh’s relationship with the EU, the country’s largest export destination, has been that of development cooperation under the Cooperation Agreement signed in 2001.

According to diplomatic sources, signing the CPA will be a significant elevation of the Bangladesh-EU relationship.

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