The European Union will keep supporting Bangladesh to help the South Asian country make sustainable graduation from the grouping of least-developed countries.

Charles Whiteley, the EU's ambassador to Bangladesh, gave this assurance in a meeting with Md Saiful Islam, president of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), at the latter's office in Dhaka's Gulshan yesterday, according to a press release.

Whiteley said there are untapped areas of cooperation where many EU member countries might be able to collaborate with Bangladesh to render technical support on various aspects, such as renewable energy and skills development.

Addressing the meeting, Islam highlighted the challenges of LDC graduation and Bangladesh's joining the club of middle-income countries by 2026.

Islam also expressed concerns about the tariff escalation after the country's LDC graduation and urged the EU to extend transitional support and the Everything but Arms (EBA) initiative for a reasonable period to attain sustainable graduation.

Responding to Islam's call, Whiteley assured that the EU would look into the concerns very pragmatically.

Praising Bangladesh's economic transformation and its high-quality exportable products, the ambassador expressed his willingness to promote EU investment in Bangladesh and provide feedback and assistance in improving the country's business climate.

During the meeting, Islam categorically mentioned the benefits received by Bangladesh through the EU's EBA initiative, which has significantly helped the country make visible progress in social development through poverty reduction and women empowerment.

Highlighting Bangladesh's commitment to the EU's roadmap concerning labour standards and workers' rights, Islam assured that the laws regarding labour at export processing zones are continuously being amended as Bangladesh is steadfast in taking correct steps on all relevant issues.

He also discussed the EU's possible engagement with the local service sector.

Bangladesh possesses a huge pool of IT professionals and many EU member countries could tap into this resource for mutual benefits, especially for emerging technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence and the internet of things, Islam added.