EU Cooperation - The Times Of Central Asia

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EU Supports Uzbekistan’s Anti-Corruption Efforts

The European Union, an EU Consortium under the leadership of GIZ (Germany), UNDP Uzbekistan, and the Anti-Corruption Agency of Uzbekistan, have joined forces to bolster Uzbekistan’s anti-corruption efforts. Funded by the European Union, "Improving Governance in Uzbekistan," was officially launched on 19 April, and targeting all 14 of Uzbekistan’s regions, will run until 2026. As reported by the Delegation of the European Union to Uzbekistan, the campaign will be actioned through two closely related projects. The first, “Inclusive corruption prevention,” will be implemented by the EU Consortium under the leadership of GIZ in partnership with Regional Dialogue and the Central Finance and Contracting Agency of Latvia. The budget of 4,550,000 euros is co-funded by the German government. The second, “Strengthening the National Anti-Corruption Ecosystem in Uzbekistan,” costing 2,500,000 euros, will be implemented by UNDP. Operating in tandem, the projects aim to address critical challenges faced by anti-corruption efforts including weak institutionalization and gaps between national and regional levels of their implementation. Ms. Charlotte Adriaen, EU Ambassador to Uzbekistan, expressed her optimism about the campaign, saying, “This initiative signifies EU’s continued support of the ambitious reform program in Uzbekistan. Supporting efforts in fighting corruption will be essential for ensuring sustainable and equitable development.” Speaking on behalf of Anti-Corruption Agency, director Mr Burkhanov outlined expansive plans to address the issue including the introduction of the Integrity Assessment initiative and ensuring that corruption reforms reach all regions. In addition, the agency is set to introduce digital technologies and artificial intelligence into the anti-corruption system, enhance cooperation of civil society institutions and increase their effectiveness, and introduce a coordinated system for cooperation with donors supporting anti-corruption.

Kazakhstan Seeks EU Assistance in Sustainable Water Management

On April 18, Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov chaired the 14th meeting of the Kazakhstan-European Union dialogue platform attended by heads of diplomatic missions of EU member states and top managers of several European companies. Referencing the country’s devastating spring floods and the importance of expanding partnership with EU countries for the development of a sustainable water infrastructure, Bektenov stated, "The scale and consequences of the natural disaster require from us radically new approaches for the proper use of resources and avoidance of similar incidents in the future.” Bektenov emphasized that Kazakhstan is especially interested in the best practices of European countries and companies, and welcomed discussions in which delegates shared their experience in the introduction of water-saving technologies and the development of the agro-industrial sector. In turn, Ambassador of the EU Delegation to Kazakhstan, Kestutis Jankauskas, reported, "The water issue is a priority of our cooperation with Central Asia. Like other natural resources, water must have its price in order to be used efficiently. This will stimulate the introduction of more efficient technologies, and many European companies are ready to work in this direction." Having confirmed the EU’s readiness to transfer knowledge and technologies in the field of sustainable management of water basins and rivers, Mr Jankauskas announced that cooperation on agriculture and water management will be a focus of this year’s bilateral agenda.

EU and Uzbekistan Establish Strategic Partnership on Critical Raw Materials

On April 5th, European Commission Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis and Uzbekistan's Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade Laziz Kudratov signed a Memorandum of Understanding for a strategic partnership on critical raw materials (CRMs). Rich in copper, molybdenum, and gold, Uzbekistan has the second-largest reserves of CRMs in Central Asia and an ambitious mining strategy aimed to increase processing for both domestic and international industries, particularly in automotive and consumer electronics. As reported by the Delegation of the European Union to Uzbekistan, the new strategic partnership marks a significant step towards securing responsible production alongside a diversified and sustainable supply of CRMs for green and digital transitions in both the EU and Uzbekistan. “This agreement with resource-rich Uzbekistan will help the EU to secure much-needed access to critical raw materials,” commented Valdis Dombrovskis, European Commission Executive Vice-President and Commissioner for Trade. “It is part of our wider global outreach to work with partners on securing materials for the future. For Uzbekistan, this will deliver a major boost to its ambitions to economic diversification, develop its extractive industry in a sustainable and resilient manner.”

Kazakh-European Proposal for CRM and Green Hydrogen Strategy

Some 60 high-ranking officials from the European Union and representatives of the EU business community attended a meeting on March 5th organized by the Kazakh Embassy in Belgium. A high-level event, its key focus was Kazakh-European cooperation on critical raw materials (CRM), green hydrogen and batteries. In November 2022, Kazakhstan and the European Union signed a Memorandum of Understanding on sustainable raw materials, batteries, and renewable hydrogen value chains, and adopted a Roadmap for its implementation in 2023. At the meeting on March 5th, Bolat Akchulakov, energy advisor to the president of Kazakhstan, emphasized the importance of the Kazakhstan-EU Memorandum of Understanding for strategic partnership in achieving common objectives of green transition. Luc Devigne, deputy managing director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia of the European External Action Service (EEAS), praised the development of the Kazakhstan-EU relationship as a “success story of cooperation.” Referencing the EU’s readiness to further strengthen this partnership, he stated that it would ensure both the sustainability of supply chains and the achievement of common goals regarding climate change. As part of the event, Kazakhstan’s national company Kazakh Invest presented a report on CRM at its Brussels office. Kazakhstan produces 19 of the 34 critical raw materials listed by the European Union. Kazakh manufacturers currently supply the EU with beryllium, tantalum, and titanium but have the potential to further exploit the country's cache of other raw materials. By establishing plants to process reserves of nickel, cobalt, manganese, and lithium, Kazakh enterprises will be able to produce batteries, essential for electric vehicles.

European Commission Vice-President’s Visit a “New Impetus” to EU-Turkmenistan Relations

On January 17th, a delegation from the EU led by the Vice-President of the European Commission, Margaritis Schinas visited Turkmenistan as part of its wider tour of Central Asia, with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan being their previous stops. The visit comes ahead of the Europe-Central Asia Investors Forum, which aims at strengthening connectivity by developing transport routes within and between Central Asia and the European Union. It is also a testament to the growing partnership between the EU and the region, said the Delegation of the EU to Turkmenistan. In Ashgabat, Schinas met with the President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, and the Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rashid Meredov. At the meeting, key issues such as cooperation in the EU-Central Asia format, the engagement of Central Asian countries in the EU Global Gateway initiative, and the participation of Turkmenistan in the upcoming Investors Forum were discussed. Schinas welcomed Turkmenistan’s efforts in the process of its accession to the World Trade Organization and its commitment to becoming a member of a multilateral trading system, and congratulated Turkmenistan for joining the Global Methane Pledge at COP28 in Dubai. He also underscored the EU's commitment to human rights as a fundamental principle and commended Turkmenistan's engagement in the Annual Human Rights Dialogue. At a press briefing following the visit, Schinas said “I am proud to be the first Commissioner to visit Turkmenistan since the beginning of this European Commission five years ago. Turkmenistan is an important partner of the EU in Central Asia. My visit was an opportunity to discuss Global Gateway, the EU’s main investment strategy with partners worldwide. The Global Gateway is about investing in our mutual interests, and is ideally suited to Central Asia given that it is already the world’s gateway between East and West. It was also an occasion to give new impetus to EU-Turkmenistan relations across the board.”

EU Ready to Deepen Cooperation with Kyrgyzstan

On January 15th, the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Sadyr Japarov received the Vice-President of the European Commission, Margaritis Schinas in Bishkek. During the meeting, President Japarov noted the dynamically developing level of cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and the EU both at the inter-regional and bilateral levels, the presidential press service reported. The head of state and the vice-president of the European Commission discussed a wide range of issues, including priority projects for the Kyrgyz Republic, investment, financing, prospects for banking relations, and regional security issues. Japarov paid particularly attention to the importance for Kyrgyzstan of the upcoming Investors Forum for EU-Central Asia Transport Connectivity, which will be held in Brussels on January 29th and 30th. Discussing human rights in Kyrgyzstan, Japarov spoke of an active civil society, media freedom and unrestricted access to the internet, emphasizing the importance of reliable information in online space. In turn, Schinas spoke about the importance of positive changes in Central Asia and expressed the EU’s readiness to deepen cooperation with the Kyrgyz Republic. Schinas expressed confidence that cooperation will be strengthened in the field of financial and economic partnerships, adding that his visit was focused on climate projects, digitization issues, and the development of transport corridors. In June 2023, the first official visit of the President of the European Council, Charles Michel to the Kyrgyz Republic took place, and the first Summit of the leaders of Central Asian countries and the EU was held in the Kyrgyz resort city of Cholpon-Ata.