European Union (EU) Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner on Monday met State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam and presented the EU’s “Eastern Corridor Initiative” that aims at combating irregular migration to the EU by engaging with countries of origin, transit and all stakeholders.

Ambassador of the European Union to Bangladesh Michael Miller was also present at the meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The discussions covered cooperation on migration management, returns, combating human trafficking and migrant smuggling.

The State Minister reaffirmed Bangladesh’s commitment to safe, orderly and regular migration and urged the EU and its Member States to expand opportunities for Bangladeshi skilled workers and professionals through practical, demand-driven and results-oriented mobility corridors as a way to incentivize regular migration.

She also highlighted the Government’s adoption of the National Action Plan (NAP) 2026-2030 for implementing the objectives of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM).

The EU Commissioner presented the EU’s “Eastern Corridor Initiative” that aims at combating irregular migration to the EU by engaging with countries of origin, transit and all stakeholders.

The State Minister expressed Bangladesh’s openness to cooperation and informed the Commissioner of the steps being taken by Bangladesh, including initiatives against documents frauds and criminal networks, to prevent and combat irregular migration.

She reiterated the importance of addressing the root causes of irregular migration for facilitating pathways for regular migration.

Acknowledging the importance of coordinated initiatives to comprehensively address the issue, both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in the area of migration.

The State Minister expressed Bangladesh’s commitment to strengthening its multifaceted partnership with the European Union (EU) including expanding trade and investment cooperation.

Both sides agreed to continued dialogue and closer cooperation on shared priorities.

As Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner is responsible for strengthening Europe’s internal security, designing and upgrading EU legislation, policies and operational responses to meet the many threats they face and ensure every European citizen’s basic right to feel safe is met, an official told UNB.

In February this year, the European Commission adopted a comprehensive strategy to step up support for the EU eastern regions bordering Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.

Strengthening the prosperity and resilience of these regions is not only an expression of EU solidarity in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but also a strategic investment in Europe's security, competitiveness, and future stability, said the EU.

Several regions from nine Member States – Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria – have been particularly affected by hybrid warfare, weaponised migration, economic and trade disruption, and demographic decline.