NUR-SULTAN (TCA) – The EU-Kazakhstan High Level Dialogue Platform on Economic and Trade Issues (Business Platform) held its 7th meeting in Nur-Sultan on June 11, chaired by Prime Minister Askar Mamin, the delegation of the European Union Commission in Kazakhstan reported.

The event brought together business representatives and EU Heads of Missions led by EU Ambassador to the Republic of Kazakhstan Sven-Olov Carlsson. Ambassador Peter Burian, visiting EU Special Representative for Central Asia, joined the event.

The high-level trade platform complements the technical dialogue between the EU and Kazakhstan in the framework of the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, in particular the Cooperation Committee in the Trade Setup, which took place in October 2020.

The EU is committed to climate neutrality by 2050 and fully translates the implementation of the Paris Agreement into legislation. Ambitious goals and decisive actions demonstrate that the EU is and will remain a world leader in the transition to the green economy. The climate challenge is inherently global and the EU is only responsible for around 10% of all global greenhouse gas emissions. The EU expects its partners to share a comparable level of ambition to tackle climate change and is ready to deepen cooperation with Kazakhstan in this area, in particular by exploring new trade and investment opportunities.

The recent EU-Kazakhstan Cooperation Council welcomed the progress made in the framework of the trade platform chaired by Prime Minister Mamin. The platform recognizes the importance of the EU in Kazakhstan’s foreign trade, and discussions on a range of issues help attract more investment to Kazakhstan.

The EU-Kazakhstan Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA), fully in force from March 1, 2020, aims to create a better regulatory environment for businesses in areas such as trade in services, creation and development. business operations, capital movements, raw materials and energy, intellectual property rights. It is a tool for regulatory convergence between Kazakhstan and the EU, with some “WTO plus” provisions, particularly on public procurement. Even in a year as difficult as 2020, the EU has consolidated its position as Kazakhstan’s largest trading partner and largest foreign investor, and Kazakhstan remains the EU’s largest trading partner in Central Asia. Total EU-Kazakhstan trade reached € 18.6 billion in 2020, with EU imports amounting to € 12.6 billion and EU exports to € 5.9 billion . The EU is by far Kazakhstan’s largest trading partner, accounting for 41% of total Kazakh exports.