A Memorandum of Understanding creating a relationship between the EU and Kazakhstan was signed by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov today while they were both in Egypt for the COP27 conference, European Commission says in a press release.
The agreement aims to ensure the growth of a secure and long-lasting supply of unprocessed resources and processed commodities. In order to accelerate the green and digital development of both sides’ economy, it also aspires to establish renewable hydrogen and battery value chains.
Three areas of cooperation are the focal point of the partnership:
- Greater economic and industrial integration along the crucial supply chains for batteries, renewable hydrogen, and raw materials by, among other things:
- finding collaborative projects along the relevant value chains, such as recycling and luring private investment;
- Setting high standards for environmental, social, and governance (ESG);
- Modernizing mining and refining processes and technologies through the adoption of cutting-edge innovations and environmentally friendly practices.
- Increasing the supply chains for raw materials, batteries, and renewable hydrogen through, among other things:
- improving the transparency and availability of data on actions relevant to the scope of this relationship in terms of investment, operations, and exports.
- Enhanced bilateral collaboration on capacity-building, skills development, and research and innovation on a variety of subjects, including:
- a critical raw materials value chain that is decarbonized, using digitalization and renewable energy sources, among other methods;
- mining process sustainability and environmental protection;
- extraction of essential raw elements from industrial mineral waste management.
The EU and Kazakhstan have agreed to create a roadmap for 2023–2024 including agreed-upon specific collaborative measures within six months of the Partnership’s signing. These activities must be carried out in close collaboration with relevant business and financial players from Kazakhstan and EU Member States.
