Debate: Uzbekistan
Date: TUESDAY, 3 OCTOBER 2023
Speaker: Margaritis Schinas
Language: EN

I had the chance personally to appreciate Uzbekistan’s stance during the crisis we faced a couple of years ago with instrumentalisation of migration by the Belarus regime, and I had the chance to appreciate the commitment of the President of the Government of Uzbekistan in helping Europe in a moment of need. The report, presented by Rapporteur Kyuchyuk strikes a good balance, highlighting the progress that the country has achieved and pointing to persistent challenges and weaknesses that require further attention. The European Union is actively engaged in building a stronger partnership with Uzbekistan. Last year in July, we initialled the new Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with Uzbekistan that will extend our cooperation into new areas, deepening it across the board. Shortly before that, in April last year, we admitted Uzbekistan to the GSP+, the Generalised System of Preferences Plus scheme, cutting tariffs on imports to reward and further incentivise progress in ratifying and implementing international agreements on human rights, good governance and the environment. The EU is an important cooperation partner for Uzbekistan. The Multiannual Indicative Programme allocation for the period 2021-2024 is around EUR 76 million, and it focuses on three priority areas effective governance and digital transformation, inclusive and green growth and the development of a smart, eco—friendly agrifood sector. A key feature of the new programme is a Team Europe Initiative that aims at facilitating the development of the country’s agrifood sector, a key driver of employment and economic growth in an inclusive, green, sustainable, gender—responsive and climate—smart manner. The EU contribution to this overall Team Europe Initiative is a budget support programme of around EUR 27 million last year. The country is an active advocate and driver of closer regional cooperation and works hard to be a constructive partner in multilateral fora. The EU supports Uzbekistan’s application to join the World Trade Organisation, including through a EUR 5 million project. We also note that the country has taken what it calls a ‘balanced, neutral position’ on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in view of its traditionally close ties with Russia. In the current geopolitical context, Uzbekistan aims to diversify away from its dependencies and seize its relationship with the EU in that context of diversifying away from the factors that make its economy dependent. The European Commission has worked closely with Uzbekistan to address the sensitive and very important for us issue of circumventing international sanctions on Russia. The country still has some way to go in that respect to be able to live up to its international obligations and to implement the word of its President, namely on delivering political reform and guaranteeing freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. We do, as the European Union, raise these issues with Uzbekistan at every opportunity and at all levels. Human rights and democracy are core elements of our new agreement, and, of course, they are the foundation that underpin GSP+. As we build closer to relations with Uzbekistan, we will strengthen our dialogue to hold our partners to deliver on their promises and to pursue a broad path of reforms.