Balanced bilateral trade impossible without removing non-tariff barriers: French Ambassador

French Ambassador to Bangladesh Jean-Marc Chéret-Challier has emphasised the need to remove non-tariff trade barriers, ensure the rule of law and create a foreign investment-friendly environment to achieve more balanced trade between Bangladesh and France. He said that in many cases, non-tariff barriers pose a greater obstacle to international trade than tariffs .

Speaking at a 'Meet the Ambassador' programme at Rajshahi University's Senate Building on Wednesday (July 29), organised jointly by the Centre for Governance Studies (CGS) and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Bangladesh, the ambassador said that although Bangladesh's readymade garment sector has achieved significant success in the French market, French and European companies still face various administrative and regulatory complexities when exporting goods to Bangladesh .

He noted that while Bangladesh exports ten types of products to France, France effectively exports only one major product to Bangladesh. For sustainable trade, business opportunities between the two countries need to be more balanced.

Explaining non-tariff trade barriers, he cited technical standards, complex regulations, lengthy administrative processes and bureaucratic red tape as major challenges for foreign businesses.

As an example, he said that if a food product remains stuck in customs for an extended period and expires, the concerned company may lose interest in exporting to that country in the future.

The French ambassador further said that beyond readymade garments, there is considerable potential for expanding cooperation between Bangladesh and France in pharmaceuticals, renewable energy and high-value-added industries. However, corruption, concerns over judicial independence, bureaucratic complexities and restrictions on repatriating profits remain major hurdles for foreign investors.

He also highlighted the need for export diversification in the context of Bangladesh's graduation from Least Developed Country (LDC) status, and stated that France is ready to assist Bangladesh in this regard.

On foreign policy, Jean-Marc Chéret-Challier said Bangladesh should strengthen cooperation with countries sharing common values while upholding its sovereignty. He also criticised Russia's aggression in Ukraine, as well as the US military operation in Iraq in 2003 without UN authorisation.

He said, "We are delighted to work with a democratic government. I have been sent here to take Bangladesh-France relations forward."