A European Union (EU) delegation sought measures for repatriating 80,000 illegal Bangladeshi migrants at the first Bangladesh-EU dialogue on migration management yesterday, while Bangladesh urged for scopes to regularise them considering their contributions to economies and the fact that not all went there illegally.
The dialogue also highlighted the urgency for exploring possibilities of wider co-operation on migration and mobility through a possible comprehensive political declaration, the foreign ministry sources said.
Foreign secretary Shahidul Haque led the Bangladesh delegation while the 10-member EU delegation was led by Christian Leffler, deputy secretary general for Global and Economic Issues, the European External Action Service.
The EU delegation offered cooperation in the field of information campaign and awareness raising on the danger of irregular migration as well as a special programme for reintegration of the returnees.
The Bangladesh side highlighted the government’s policy of bringing all the people in an irregular situation back as well as the need for widening the scope of safe, orderly and regular migration.  
The two sides agreed to continue the dialogue looking at a wide-ranging approach to address the issues of migration and mobility.
According to sources, as many as 80,000 Bangladesh nationals living in EU countries have turned illegal and undocumented mainly due to expiry of their visas, some of them migrating from other countries.
The EU requested Bangladesh to bring back all 80,000 illegal Bangladesh nationals, now living in the European countries while Bangladesh sought their regularisation.