EU and Kazakhstan Enhance Partnership on Critical Raw Materials
Kazakhstan and EU Agree on Partnership Roadmap for 2025-2026
During the historic EU-Central Asia Summit in Samarkand on April 4, Kazakhstan and the European Union officially endorsed a partnership roadmap for 2025-2026. This roadmap aims to implement the memorandum of understanding signed in November 2022, focusing on strategic partnership in the fields of raw materials, batteries, and renewable hydrogen.
The new roadmap builds on the achievements of the previous 2023-2024 Partnership Roadmap and sets more concrete goals for collaboration. It emphasizes advanced cooperation in geological exploration, research and innovation in raw materials, skills and training, promotion of best practices, and Environmental, Social, and Governance standards.
Additionally, the roadmap includes support for jointly identified investment projects, particularly those selected as strategic projects under the EU CRM Act. These projects will play a key role in advancing EU-Kazakhstan integration efforts.
According to Aleška Simkić, EU Ambassador to Kazakhstan, the new roadmap signifies another significant step in the EU’s partnership with Kazakhstan, demonstrating a shared commitment to sustainability and resilience. She highlighted that the partnership is already yielding tangible results, reinforcing their dedication to a strong and mutually beneficial collaboration.
The EU-Kazakhstan partnership remains focused on integrating strategic value chains in critical raw materials, battery production, and renewable hydrogen, while leveraging the existing Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA). recent examples of successful collaboration include a €3 million (US$3.3 million) EU-funded project, implemented by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), aimed at enhancing cooperation in the critical raw materials sector between the EU and Central Asia.
Overall, the partnership roadmap for 2025-2026 sets a solid foundation for continued cooperation between Kazakhstan and the European Union, with a shared goal of advancing sustainable development and economic growth in the region.
