Kazakhstan - European Union

Kazakh-European relations

2 February 1993 – diplomatic relations between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the European Union were established.

December 1993 – the Mission of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the European Union was opened in Brussels.

November 1994 – the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Kazakhstan was opened in Almaty (relocated to Astana in 2007).

Since 5 July 2025, H.E. Mr. Roman Vassilenko has been serving as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Kingdom of Belgium, Head of the Mission of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the European Union, and Head of Mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Since September 2024, Ms. Aleška Simkić (Republic of Slovenia) has been the Head of the EU Delegation to Kazakhstan.

 

Political Cooperation

The European Union is one of Kazakhstan’s main political and economic partners.

Bilateral institutional structures between Kazakhstan and the EU:

• Cooperation Council – co-chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy or the Foreign Minister of the country holding the EU Council Presidency. 21 meetings have been held (the next one scheduled for Q4 2025).
• Kazakhstan–EU Parliamentary Cooperation Committee – chaired by the Chair of the Committee on International Affairs, Defence and Security of the Mazhilis (Lower House of Parliament) on the Kazakh side, and by the Chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Central Asia and Mongolia on the EU side. 21 meetings held (next – Q4 2025).
• Cooperation Committee in Political Configuration – co-chaired by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan and the Deputy Managing Director for Russia, Eastern Partnership, Central Asia and OSCE at the European External Action Service (EEAS). 22 meetings held (next – 2026).
• Cooperation Committee in Trade Configuration – co-chaired by the Vice Minister of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan and the Head of Unit for “Southern Neighbours, Middle East, Turkey, Russia and Central Asia” at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Trade (DG TRADE). 8 meetings held (next – 2026).

At the expert level, three Subcommittees operate:

• Subcommittee on Justice and Home Affairs, linked with the Human Rights Dialogue – 22 Subcommittee meetings and 16 Dialogue meetings held (next – 2026).
• Subcommittee on Energy, Transport, Environment and Climate Change – 8 meetings held (next – 2026).
• Subcommittee on Customs Issues – 8 meetings held (next – 2026).

Key Agreements and Treaties

The first legal basis for Kazakhstan–EU relations was the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA), signed on 23 January 1995 in Brussels and entered into force on 1 July 1999.

Between June 2011 and October 2014, negotiations were held on the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA), covering 29 areas of cooperation, including international and regional security, trade, investment, infrastructure development, innovation, culture, sports, and tourism.

The EPCA was signed on 21 December 2015, provisionally applied from 1 May 2016, and entered fully into force on 1 March 2020.

On 7 November 2022, Kazakhstan and the EU signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Partnership in the field of Sustainable Raw Materials, Batteries and Renewable Hydrogen. The document was signed by Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the margins of the COP27 Climate Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

On 19 May 2023, during the 2nd EU–Central Asia Economic Forum in Almaty, in the presence of Prime Minister Smailov and Executive Vice-President Dombrovskis, the Kazakhstan–EU Cooperation Facility Financial Agreement was signed.

 

Trade and Economic Cooperation

The European Union is Kazakhstan’s main trading and investment partner, accounting for roughly half of Kazakhstan’s foreign trade and cumulative foreign investment stock.

In 2024, bilateral trade turnover reached USD 48.8 billion, a 16.9% increase compared to 2023 (USD 41.3 billion). Exports amounted to USD 38.14 billion (+22.9%), while imports stood at USD 10.69 billion (+1.9%).

During January–July 2025, trade turnover reached USD 25.3 billion, 9.3% lower than the same period in 2024. Foreign direct investment inflows from EU countries in 2024 totaled USD 7.9 billion.

Main Kazakh exports to the EU: crude oil, petroleum products, uranium, hydrogen, inert gases and other non-metals, ferroalloys, flax seeds, titanium and its products, uncombed cotton fiber, copper and copper cathodes, and natural gas.

Main imports from the EU: pharmaceuticals (retail-packed), pipeline fittings, computers, seamless steel pipes and profiles, dishwashers, bottling and packaging machinery, other metal products, vaccines, blood serum, and automobile bodies.

An important platform for strengthening economic cooperation is the Kazakhstan–EU Business and Economic Dialogue, co-chaired by the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan and EU Ambassadors in Astana (16 meetings held, the latest on 28 February 2025).

 

Humanitarian and Educational Cooperation

Kazakhstan actively participates in the Erasmus+ Programme, which promotes academic mobility (budget 2021–2027: EUR 28.4 billion, including EUR 76 million for Central Asia).

Over 3,300 Kazakh students and academics have received short-term scholarships to study in Europe, while 1,500 European students have studied in Kazakhstan.

Within joint master’s programmes, 328 Kazakh citizens graduated from European universities.

Kazakh universities have been involved in 49 of 70 Central Asian capacity-building projects (2014–2020), and 4 of 9 projects in 2022. EU research programmes such as MSCA and ERC also support international researcher mobility and leading scientific projects.

In the humanitarian field, cooperation also covers human rights, combating human trafficking, and protecting national minorities, supported through the EIDHR programme.

Educational partnerships are growing: Kazakh universities have signed 23 strategic agreements, including five with European institutions (in Poland, France, Germany, and Italy). In the first half of 2024, 2,250 Kazakh students studied in the EU, while 752 EU students came to Kazakhstan.

 

EU Project Activities in Kazakhstan

The European Union provides substantial financial assistance to Kazakhstan – over 350 projects totaling EUR 180 million have been implemented.
The bilateral Cooperation Facility (2021–2027, EUR 20 million) supports EPCA implementation in two key areas: sustainable economic growth and rule of law.

Projects under preparation include:

• Technical assistance for economic cooperation and EPCA implementation – EUR 3 million;
• Support for the “green transition” – EUR 2.7 million;
• Twinning project to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Constitutional Court – EUR 2 million;
• Additional support for economic cooperation – EUR 2.5 million;
• Development of rule of law and anti-corruption reforms – EUR 2 million;
• Financing of green initiatives – EUR 2 million;
• Local development projects – EUR 4 million.

 

Kazakhstan’s Participation in EU Regional Initiatives under the Global Gateway Strategy

 

1. Water, Energy, and Climate:

• CAWEP (EUR 8 million, World Bank) – water and energy resource management;
• EU4SustainableCentralAsia (EUR 7 million, GIZ) – coordination of Team Europe activities;
• EURECA (EUR 5 million, GIZ) – renewable energy development;
• SECCA (EUR 6.8 million, World Bank) – inclusive energy policy formation.

 

2. Critical Raw Materials (CRM):

• EU Prosperity in Central Asia (EUR 3 million, EBRD) – development of strategic raw material supply chains;
• Additional financing – EUR 13 million for expansion of cooperation in the CRM sector.

 

3. Digital Connectivity:

• Soft Connectivity (EUR 20 million, Expertise France) – regulation of satellite communications;
• Hard Connectivity (EUR 35 million, EIB) – expansion of internet access in remote regions.

 

4. Transport:

• Transport connectivity development project – EUR 12 million;
• Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor Coordination Platform – EUR 3 million;
• Preparatory studies for green transport infrastructure – EUR 15 million.

 

5. Additional Programmes:

• Ready4Trade Central Asia (EUR 10 million, ITC) – facilitating trade along the Trans-Caspian route;
• OECD Central Asia Invest (EUR 2.4 million) – economic reforms and investment;
• DARYA (EUR 10 million, ETF) – youth and education development;
• Civil society support (UNOPS, EUR 4.5 million);
• PROTECT (EUR 9 million, ICMPD/UNODC) – migration management improvement.

Kazakhstan also participates in the BOMCA (border management) and CADAP (drug control) programmes coordinated by the EU Delegation in Bishkek.