The New Nation - Internet Edition

Business Report

Belgium sees expanded business opportunities with Bangladesh as the EU member country swims out of recession in the third quarter, said Delhi-based Belgium Ambassador to Bangladesh Jean M Deboutte while talking to the newsmen at the Westin Dhaka last week.

Gross domestic product in Belgium, the first euro-area nation to report official third quarter GDP figures, increased 0.5 percent from the second quarter, when it fell a revised 0.1 percent. From a year earlier, third-quarter GDP fell 3.5 percent, after a revised 4.2 percent drop in the previous quarter. The economy of the 16 nations using the euro pulled out of the recession in the third quarter, the European Commission estimated last month.

Bangladesh exports mainly knitwear, woven garments, frozen food, jute yearn and twine and home textiles valued at some 500 million dollars to Belgium, a country of only 11 million people. While commenting on over the trade relations between the two countries, he observed that there are still many avenues to be explored to increase the economic ties.

"Belgian businessmen can import small and medium ships, jute and leather goods, pharmaceuticals and ceramics from Bangladesh considering their competitive prices apart from the regular items of readymade garments and sea food," he said. On investment Deboutte said he would the Belgian entrepreneurs to invest in Bangladesh's potential sectors like power, textile and hospitality sectors taking advantage of lucrative packages being offered by the present government.

He visits Bangladesh once a year to help expand multilateral relations with Belgium, a prominent member of the European Union. Nearly 300-400 Bangladeshis visit Belgium every year while the number of visitors is very insignificant compared to the Bangladeshi visitors to any other EU member country, he lamented. Based in New Delhi, he has been given accredited by his government for Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Bhutan. He told the correspondent that this was his second visit to Dhaka after he was posted to New Delhi as the Ambassador of Belgium to India.

To a question of closing down Belgium embassy in Dhaka in 1993, he said it was on purely budgetary grounds that compelled the EU member to take the decision.

On job opportunities in Brussels, he said that Bangladeshi doctors, engineers and scientists will have registration with authorities concerned of Belgium government before applying for jobs. He, however, said Bangladeshi nurses having language efficiency in either French or German or Dutch can get jobs as English is only used by only a fraction of the total population of Belgium. On number of Bangladeshis living in the EU country, he informed the correspondent that around 8,000 Bangladeshis are engaged in different services in Belgium. On investment he said, he would urge Belgium entrepreneurs to invest in Bangladesh that offers congenial environment with abundant of cheap labour.

He expressed his satisfaction over the existing excellent friendly relations between Dhaka and Brussels and recalled that Belgium was one of the first few countries to recognize Bangladesh after the country's independence in 1971.

During a meeting with President Zillur Rahman, he informed him that he would invite the Queen of Belgium to visit Bangladesh at her convenience.

Belgium Ambassador Deboutte expressed his satisfaction over the existing bilateral relations between the two countries and assured the President that he would do his level best to increase the trade and commerce relations between the two countries in the days to come. The envoy also put emphasis on increasing cooperation between SAARC and European Union for the greater interest of both the region. He praised the role of Golam Faruk Ahmed, the honorary consul of the Belgium embassy in Dhaka, who is looking after the interest of the business leaders of the both countries.