EU and Kazakhstan establish strategic partnership

At the Global Conference on Climate Change (COP27) in Egypt, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Kazakh Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishing a strategic partnership between the EU and Kazakhstan.

The agreement is aimed at ensuring the development of reliable and sustainable supplies of raw materials and refined materials. It also aims to develop renewable hydrogen and battery value chains to accelerate the green and digital transformation of both sides' economies.

As part of the Critical Raw Materials Action Plan, the European Commission is working to build partnerships with resource-rich third countries, using all foreign policy instruments and respecting its international obligations.

“Reliable and sustainable supplies of raw materials, refined materials and renewable hydrogen are key to helping build a new, cleaner foundation for our economy, especially as we move away from our dependence on fossil fuels,” von der Leyen said in her report. news release.

“This partnership with Kazakhstan demonstrates Europe's commitment to working with partner countries as part of our shared commitment to a greener and more sustainable future, in line with the Global Gateway Strategy and the objectives of the REPowerEU plan,” she added.

“The signing of the document will create conditions for establishing financial and technological cooperation between Kazakhstan and the EU industrial alliances. In general, our country has all the necessary attractiveness factors for European business, including diversified energy sources and high transit and transport potential,” Smailov said in his speech at the signing of the memorandum of understanding.

The partnership is centered around three areas of cooperation: closer economic and industrial integration into strategic value chains for raw materials, batteries and renewable hydrogen; improving the sustainability of supply chains for raw materials, batteries and renewable hydrogen; and closer bilateral cooperation in capacity building, skills building, research and innovation.

Both the EU and Kazakhstan have committed to develop a roadmap for 2023-2024 with specific joint actions agreed within six months of signing the partnership agreement. These actions should be carried out in close cooperation with the relevant industrial and financial stakeholders from the EU Member States and Kazakhstan.

Von der Leyen also met with Namibian President Hage Geingob on Tuesday to sign a similar partnership agreement between the EU and the South African nation.