Italy and other European Union (EU) countries have expressed concern at various times about illegal Bangladeshis entering Europe by crossing the Mediterranean Sea or by other means. There are still about 1.5 million Bangladeshis in various European countries, a large portion of whom have gone there illegally through various routes.
The EU signed a memorandum of understanding with Bangladesh in 2017 and Italy on May 6 to send them back.
The aim is to encourage legal migration by sending back illegal Bangladeshis.
The Italian government has long been concerned about the infiltration of Bangladeshis. It has also been pressuring Bangladesh to sign a memorandum of understanding on this issue. However, Bangladesh has always shown a positive attitude and has been cooperating in this regard. Several Italian delegations have visited Bangladesh and intensified efforts to sign the MoU in the past few months. Finally, Bangladesh signed this memorandum of understanding on migration and mobility with Italy yesterday. It was signed by Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Advisor Dr. Asif Nazrul and visiting Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi.
In addition, the Italian government is also keen to take joint action against the gangs involved in human trafficking in European countries. The two countries agreed to form a joint committee to increase cooperation in this regard and take initiatives to build capacity for law enforcement agencies.
This MoU reflects the Bangladesh government's commitment to expanding labor markets abroad, ensuring remittance flows, and improving people's quality of life through legal migration. On the other hand, it has encouraged safe, orderly, and regular migration, as well as addressed the challenges of labor shortages in the case of Italy. This MoU is in line with the provisions of the Standard Operating Procedures signed between Bangladesh and the EU in 2017.
In this regard, sources in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Malta, Greece, Austria, and other European countries are pressuring to take back illegal Bangladeshis. Bangladeshis are working in all European countries to some extent, but the largest number is in those countries.
According to sources, there are 250,000 Bangladeshis in Italy alone, both legal and illegal; 100,000 in France, 60,000 in Spain, 40,000 in Greece, 25,000 in Germany, and about 25,000 in other European countries. Bangladesh has been repeatedly requested to take back the 800,000 illegal Bangladeshis in the UK. Especially when a ministerial-level official from these countries visits, they pressure Bangladesh to do so. Apart from this, the issue was also raised at various times by the embassies of those countries in Dhaka.
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi paid an official visit to Bangladesh on May 5 and 6. He met with Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus during the visit. In addition, he held bilateral meetings with Foreign Affairs Advisor Towhid Hossain and Home Affairs and Agriculture Advisor Lieutenant General Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury (retd.). Both sides reviewed the status of bilateral relations during the visit. They also discussed various issues, including security cooperation, migration management, cooperation with law enforcement agencies, visa procedures, and the welfare of Bangladeshi expatriates in Italy.
