Roundtable on 'Trade and Investment in Central Asia: Challenges and opportunities. What role the EU should play?'

A Roundtable on 'Trade and Investment in Central Asia: Challenges and opportunities. What role the EU should play?' will take place on Tuesday, 30 May 2017, at the European Parliament.

The Roundtable is organised under the auspices of the Delegation to the EU-Kazakhstan, EU-Kyrgyzstan, EU-Uzbekistan and EU-Tajikistan Parliamentary Cooperation Committees and for relations with Turkmenistan and Mongolia, and hosted by Vice-chair of this Delegation, Dr. Laima Andrikienė MEP.

EU trade with Central Asia has grown and the EU is now the main trading partner of the region, accounting for about a third of its overall external trade. Nevertheless, total turnover of the EU's trade with Central Asia remains low. However, the countries in Central Asia have benefited significantly from increased integration into the global economy over the past two decades. Ms Andrikienė is of a position that the EU should play a much bigger role and become one of the key players in the region using trade and investment as a driver of growth, contributing to significant gains in poverty reduction and shared prosperity.

“The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is ever more dedicated to the market transition of the economies of Central Asia and with its investment the bank has boosted the economic activity. The EBRD supports also policy reform on green energy, diversification, the investment climate and the role of the private sector,” she noted.

Members of the European Parliament (members of the DCAS), representatives of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, representatives of the European External Action Service, Ambassadors of Central Asian countries (namely Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) to the EU or their representatives will discuss trade and investment challenges and opportunities in Central Asia.