Action Plan for enhancing cooperation between civil society organisations in the European Union and Kazakhstan, in the framework of the implementation of the New Strategy on Central Asia and of the Global Gateway

Key points

The EESC :

• supports strengthening cooperation between the European Union and Kazakhstan, in view of the priorities and opportunities resulting from the New EU Strategy on Central Asia and the Global Gateway initiative;
• recognizes that partnership with the EU is a foreign policy cornerstone for Kazakhstan, the first Central Asian country to sign an Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA) with the Union. The EPCA fosters collaboration in key sectors such as trade, investment, energy, agriculture and connectivity. The EU is Kazakhstan’s largest trading partner, and the country is building bridges between Asia and Europe by developing connectivity and transport networks;
• considers it essential to ensure that these relations prioritise sustainability, human rights and inclusiveness, and that they align with EU values and strategic goals, by integrating environmental, social and geopolitical concerns. Kazakhstan can easily synchronise with the EU in the social and civic dialogue programmes, thanks to the experience it has already gained within the annual EU-Central Asia Civil Society Forum;
• supports the development of civic and social dialogue in Central Asia and advocates for it to be formalised, along the lines of the good practices in relations with organised civil society of other regions, like the Western Balkans;
• believes that relations between organised civil society in the EU and Kazakhstan can develop in a structured way on the basis of an Action Plan, with several priorities and in line with the objectives of the New EU Strategy for Central Asia. Funding should be provided by the Global Gateway initiative, with the proportional governmental contribution of the states in this region, as well as other international donors;
• thinks that the EU could help support the development and consolidation of civil society in Kazakhstan by creating a programme for the exchange of experiences between civil servants;
• considers that the EU should also support the development of civil society in Kazakhstan by increasing the educational opportunities for young Kazakhs through the Erasmus programme.