On 5 November 2024, the Government of Uzbekistan and the European Union (EU) held the seventh meeting of the Sub-committee for Development Cooperation in Tashkent. Both sides took stock of ongoing projects in the areas of good governance, green economic transition and agriculture, and agreed to foster closer cooperation in the EU’s Global Gateway for transport, critical raw materials, digitalisation and territorial planning.

The Sub-committee was co-chaired by Mr Dilshod Axundjanov, Head of the Department of Fundraising of International Financial Institutions and Foreign Governmental Financial Organisations, of the Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade, and Ms Sarah Rinaldi, Head of Unit for the Middle East and Central Asia, European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA).

During the meeting, both parties reflected on the progress of the ongoing EU-funded support, such as: the project ‘’Further Improvement of Public Services Delivery in Uzbekistan’’, which has increased citizens’ access to public services in rural areas; projects addressing corruption; and budget support and expertise worth 27 million euro for agricultural reforms, improving food safety and increasing incomes of farmers.

The EU and the Uzbek government also exchanged on potential new areas of cooperation such as critical raw materials, transport, territorial planning of urban and rural areas and women’s economic empowerment. As part of the Multi-annual Indicative Programme for 2021-2027, the EU will allocate around 43 million euro for new bilateral programmes to be launched between 2025 and 2027. Additional 30 million euro will be allocated to regional programmes supporting border security, digitalisation, incl. access to the Internet, and national migration policies among others.

The Multi-annual Indicative Programme for 2021-2027 sets the priorities for the EU-Uzbekistan cooperation in line with the 2030 Uzbekistan Strategy and other national plans. The priority areas are effective governance; green and digital growth; sustainable agri-food sector. The Programme was developed by the EU following in-depth consultation with the government of Uzbekistan and the civil society.

The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 European countries. It is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. It acts globally to promote sustainable development of societies, environment and economies, so that everyone can benefit.