The European Union and Kazakhstan held the 23rd meeting of the Cooperation Committee in Astana on 29 May 2026, reaffirming their commitment to deepen ties in political dialogue, trade, energy, critical raw materials, and regional security, according to a press release published by the European External Action Service (EEAS) on 5 June 2026. The meeting, co-chaired by EEAS Deputy Managing Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia Audrone Perkauskiene and Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Issetov, also welcomed progress in negotiations for a Visa Facilitation Agreement and a Readmission Agreement.
The meeting built on recent high-level engagements, including the first-ever EU-Central Asia Summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on 4 April 2025, and the visit of European Council President Antonio Costa to Kazakhstan on 4 December 2025. Both sides underscored the positive momentum in bilateral relations under the Enhanced Partnership Cooperation Agreement, which covers political dialogue, rule of law, economic and trade relations, energy and transport, critical raw materials, and regional cooperation.
On regional and international issues, the EU and Kazakhstan exchanged views on Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, the situation in Afghanistan, and the Middle East. The EU acknowledged Kazakhstan's measures to prevent sanctions circumvention and pledged continued cooperation in this area. The meeting also highlighted growing cooperation in education, science, and civil society, emphasizing people-to-people connections.
Stakeholder impact The meeting signals continued EU engagement with Central Asia, benefiting Kazakh exporters and EU firms seeking access to critical raw materials and energy resources. For EU consumers, deeper cooperation may help secure supply chains for raw materials essential for green and digital transitions. However, the lack of concrete new commitments or timelines may disappoint businesses expecting faster progress on trade facilitation. Civil society groups may welcome the focus on people-to-people ties but could seek more transparency on human rights and rule-of-law benchmarks.
Next steps The EU and Kazakhstan are expected to continue technical negotiations on visa facilitation and readmission, with further meetings under the Enhanced Partnership Cooperation Agreement framework. The next Cooperation Committee meeting has not yet been scheduled.
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