The EU and Azerbaijan have worked together to conclude various political agreements. The most important is the EU-Azerbaijan Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (1999) which aims at enhancing:

• Trade.
• Investment.
• The economy.
• Legislation.
• Culture. 

Azerbaijan is part of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) and the Eastern Partnership initiative. 

The country is also a member of the Organisation of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC).

Discussions on updating the legal basis for relations between the EU and Azerbaijan are ongoing. 

The European Union is Azerbaijan’s first trading partner, the biggest export and import market, and is the biggest investor for the country (with nearly €7 billion of direct investment).

The EU supports closer economic integration with Azerbaijan through the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) and the Eastern Partnership initiative.

Azerbaijan is receiving technical assistance from the EU to help it become a WTO member.

Azerbaijan is a strategic energy partner for the EU, currently supplying around 4.3% of the EU’s oil imports. The Southern Gas Corridor is a strategic initiative to bring gas from the Caspian Sea to the European markets and is a key tool for enhancing the security of energy supplies in Europe. Following the completion of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline, the final part of the Southern Gas Corridor, the first commercial gas deliveries were made to Europe (Italy, Greece and Bulgaria) on 31 December 2020.

In 2019, Azerbaijan joined the Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency and Environment Partnership (E5P), and further EU support in the energy sector including energy efficiency has been provided through the EU4Energy initiative.

Cooperation on the environment and climate goals has been strengthened through a series of regional programmes such as Water Initiative+, Shared Environmental Information System II (SEIS II), EU4 Climate and EU4 Environment as well as bilateral projects, notably relating to air quality and industrial emissions. These initiatives assist Azerbaijan to meet its nationally determined contributions to the Paris Agreement, as well as achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Cultural and Public diplomacy is a key strand of the EU’s foreign policy work. To date, the EU Delegation has organized various Festivals in Azerbaijan. Since 2010, the European Union Delegation organizes the European Film Festivals on an annual basis with the aim to build and develop the cultural links existing between the European Union countries and Azerbaijan and to contribute to a better understanding of the European values through the European film industry.

The other Festivals organized by the EU Delegation in Azerbaijan include the “Imagine” Euro Tolerance Festival to promote the values of the intercultural dialogue, diversity and tolerance; “Fantazia” Cultural Heritage Festival to raise awareness on the need to showcase and preserve cultural heritage; International Festival of Contemporary Art “MAIDEN TOWER. To Be a Woman" which emphasises the role of women in the Azerbaijani society and around the world.

To increase the awareness of the EU and its activities in Azerbaijan, The EU Delegation has organized “EuroVillage” and "EU4You" outside events in Baku and regions of Azerbaijan.

Civil society and NGOs are vital for democracy and human rights, the rule of law, good governance, the principles of the market economy and sustainable development.

The European Union has always been keen to promote civil society. It managed to do this in 1999 by holding the first ever Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum in Brussels. EaP CSF is a unique multi-layered regional civil society platform aimed at promoting European integration, facilitating reforms and democratic transformations in the six Eastern Partnership countries, including Azerbaijan. 

In Azerbaijan, the EU supports civil society through specific thematic instruments: 

• European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR).
• The Non-State Actors Programme.