EU-Kazakhstan strategic partnership becomes operational

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

Today, Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis, on behalf of the European Commission, and Alikhan Smailov, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, announced a set of concrete actions that will implement the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the EU and Kazakhstan on a strategic partnership in the field of raw materials, batteries and renewable hydrogen.

This announcement follows the agreement on this Roadmap in an exchange of letters by President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen and Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Mr Alikhan Smailo earlier this week.

The EU and Kazakhstan have agreed concrete areas of actions. This includes cooperation between industrial stakeholders to identify and fulfil joint investment projects. The roadmap also foresees closer cooperation on geological exploration, research and innovation, the formation of skills, or on capacity building utilising the EU Horizon Europe programme and Cooperation facility and other funding instruments. 

The partnership builds on the existing enhanced partnership and cooperation agreement (EPCA) and aims to jointly develop and better integrate EU and Kazakh strategic value chains related to raw materials, to batteries and to renewable hydrogen. The benefits of closer cooperation are already apparent with first projects already under way.

As foreseen in the Memorandum of Understanding, the operational partnership Roadmap has been agreed and endorsed for the upcoming period 2023 – 2024. The Roadmap reflects current needs such as the modernisation and decarbonisation of the Kazakh mining industry. It also includes technology transfers and supports the development of renewable energy in both regions, essential to address the climate crisis.

Next steps

On 1-2 June 2023, the Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic, will meet the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, and the minister of industry and infrastructure development, Mr Marat Karabayev, in the margin of the 13th International Astana Mining and Metallurgy Congress to take first steps on practical implementation of the roadmap and to meet business leaders on both sides.

Quote(s)

The EU and Kazakhstan have considerable potential to build a win-win partnership. This Strategic Partnership Roadmap deepens the EU’s cooperation with a valuable partner in a strategically important region. It spells out a series of concrete actions that can bring significant benefits to both sides, working in a complementary manner. It can support Kazakhstan to create higher value-added goods that drive economic development and increase the prosperity of its people, while the EU can gain reliable access to key inputs – such as critical minerals – that are at the core of our green and digital economic transformation.Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice-President and Commissioner for Trade – 19/05/2023

Europe is fully mobilised to increase its access to secure and sustainable sources of raw materials, indispensable for the green and digital transformation of its industry. I welcome the Strategic Partnership Roadmap with Kazakhstan as a very positive step towards mutually beneficial industrial projects, for instance in the field of cobalt, titanium or tungsten, all strategic raw materials for the European Union.Thierry Breton, Commissioner for Internal Market – 19/05/2023