Bangladesh needs to put in more effort to comply with the core Everything But Arms (EBA) conventions such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and safeguard the freedom of association, freedom of expression and assembly, the EU said.

Under the EU's EBA arrangement, least-developed countries that respect the core conventions on human and labour rights can gain duty-free and quota-free entry to the 27-nation economic union.

Bangladesh is the largest beneficiary of the EBA, with exports to the EU hitting 24 billion euros in 2022.

The EU also stressed on creating an enabling environment for civil society to carry out its activities and hoped that the next government of Bangladesh would be formed through a free and fair election.

The recommendations come as an EU mission is visiting Bangladesh to assess the compliance of Bangladesh with its commitments under the EBA trade arrangement.

The mission led by Paola Pampaloni, deputy managing director of the European External Action Service, met with government officials, civil society representatives, trade unions, garments brands and the BGMEA during its five-day visit that started on November 12.

The EU officials welcomed progress made on safety standards in the garment sector and noted some positive steps towards improving economic and social rights, according to the statement yesterday.

On human rights aspects, the delegation encouraged Bangladesh to accept and implement the recommendations of the 2023 Universal Periodic Review.

The EU mission suggested that Bangladesh step up its efforts to ensure that its policies and practices are aligned with the International Labour Organisation's standards while stressing the need to fully implement the National Action Plan (NAP) on the labour sector.

It particularly stressed on guaranteeing freedom of association, collective bargaining and an inclusive and representative participation of labour unions through tripartite consultation.

It also regretted that the recent amendments to the Bangladesh Labour Act only partially addressed the concerns of the EU and ILO.

However, the mission welcomed the commitment by the government to swiftly introduce further amendments to the law towards these objectives.

"Noting delays in the agreed timetable under the NAP, the EU team urged the authorities to accelerate the necessary reforms," the statement added.

Pampaloni said they will continue to work closely with Bangladesh to accelerate the necessary reforms while continuing the enhanced monitoring process of EBA compliance.

After a meeting with the EU delegation at the state guesthouse Padma, Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen said the EU mission observed that there is a scope for improvement in areas of child labour, workplace safety and labour union.

Asked if the delegation spoke about the current labour unrest after announcing the minimum wage, Momen said: "The wage was hiked by 56 percent but not all were onboard."

On amending the labour law, Labour and Employment Secretary Ehsan E Elahi said the due amendments aligning with the ILO suggestions will be done eventually.

"We have achieved nearly 80 percent of the nine targets of the NAP," he said.

Commerce Secretary Tapan Kanti Ghosh and EU Ambassador to Bangladesh Charles Whiteley were also present at the meeting.