European Parliament delegation to visit Bangladesh Sept 16-18
The visit comes amid Bangladesh's political transition following the 2024 Mass Uprising and the resignation of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
A delegation of Members of the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights will visit Bangladesh from 16 to 18 September to discuss the human rights dimension of EU-Bangladesh relations and review the situation of displaced Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar.
The five-member delegation will hold meetings with representatives of the interim government, non-governmental and civil society organisations, labour groups, and multilateral organisations operating in Bangladesh, the European Parliament said in a statement.
"Against the backdrop of the upcoming elections in February 2026 and of the strengthening of EU-Bangladesh relations, the European Parliament delegation is visiting the country to learn more about the work of the interim government in promoting good governance and advancing human rights, including international labour standards, and to discuss the EU-Bangladesh partnership in these areas," read the statement.
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During their three-day visit, the MEPs will also travel to the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar to assess the humanitarian situation of nearly one million Rohingya who fled persecution in Myanmar in 2017.
The visit comes amid Bangladesh's political transition following the 2024 Mass Uprising and the resignation of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
The interim government, headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus, has since initiated reforms of the electoral system, judiciary and other key state institutions.
The EU and Bangladesh have meanwhile resumed negotiations on a new Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA).
The delegation will be chaired by Mounir Satouri (Greens/EFA, France) and include Isabel Wiseler-Lima (EPP, Luxembourg), Arkadiusz Mularczyk (ECR, Poland), Urmas Paet (Renew Europe, Estonia), and Catarina Vieira (Greens/EFA, Netherlands).
Bangladesh is currently under the European Union's "Everything But Arms" (EBA) scheme, which involves enhanced engagement to systematically monitor compliance with human rights and labour rights commitments.
The country also faces significant humanitarian challenges as host to around one million Rohingya living in overcrowded camps in Cox's Bazar with limited resources and pressing humanitarian needs.
