On November 5, the government of Uzbekistan and the European Union held the 7th meeting of their Subcommittee for Development Cooperation in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The parties reviewed the EU’s ongoing projects in Uzbekistan and agreed to closer cooperation in transport, critical raw materials, digitalization, and territorial planning.
As reported by the EU Delegation to Uzbekistan, the parties discussed the progress of the ongoing EU-funded project, “Further Improvement of Public Services Delivery in Uzbekistan,” which has increased Uzbek citizens’ access to public services in rural areas; projects addressing corruption; and budget support and expertise worth 27 million euro for agricultural reforms.
The EU and the Uzbek government also addressed potential new areas of cooperation, such as critical raw materials, transport, territorial planning of urban and rural areas, and women’s economic empowerment.
As part of the Multi-annual Indicative Program for 2021-2027, the EU will allocate around 43 million euros for new bilateral programs to be launched between 2025 and 2027. An additional 30 million euros will be allocated to regional programs supporting border security, digitalization, including access to the Internet, and national migration policies.
The Multi-annual Indicative Programme for 2021-2027 sets the priorities for the EU-Uzbekistan cooperation. The priority areas are effective governance, green and digital growth, and sustainable agri-food sector.
In April 2024, the European Commission and Uzbekistan signed a Memorandum of Understanding for a strategic partnership on critical raw materials (CRMs), which marked a significant step towards a diversified and sustainable supply of CRMs for green and digital transitions in both the EU and Uzbekistan.
Rich in copper, molybdenum, and gold, Uzbekistan has the second-largest reserves of CRMs in Central Asia (after Kazakhstan).
