Unlocking EU–Central Asia Cooperation on Critical Raw Materials: Start Slow to Go Fast?

Registration

Date: Tuesday 03 June 2025

Venue: FES EU Office, Rue du Taciturne 38

Please registered here.

Participation in person and online via Zoom

Format: breakfast expert discussion

Language: English

Programme

08h15 - 08h30  -  Registration and coffee

08h30 - 08h35  - Welcome by Reghina Dimitrisina, Policy Advisor at FES Just Climate

08h35 - 08h50  -  “Unlocking EU–Central Asia Cooperation on Critical Materials: Start Slow to Go Fast?”, presentation of key findings and recommendations by Roman Vakulchuk, Head of the Research Group for Climate and Energy and a senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute for International Affairs (NUPI)

08h50 Comments by:
          ▪ Ingrid Cailhol, Head of Sector Central Asia, Directorate General for International Partnerships, European Commission
          ▪ Samuel Doveri Vesterbye, Managing Director, European Neighbourhood Council - online participation
          ▪ Sofia Bournou, Senior Adviser, Senior Adviser International Relations, BusinessEurope

Followed by Q&A with the roundtable participants

10h00 End of event

If you have question on the content part please contact Reghina Dimitrisina at FES (Reghina.Dimitrisina(at)fes.de)
and on the logistical part please contact Silke Lang at FES (Silke.Lang(at)fes.de)

Background

Geopolitics has fundamentally reshaped the global acquisition of critical raw materials (CRMs), creating a landscape marked by strategic competition and supply chain disruptions. The ongoing war in Ukraine and the growing global geopolitical uncertainty have pushed the EU to rethink its resource acquisition strategies, as gaining access to a secure supply of CRMs has become critical for its industrial base. With the rising significance of critical raw materials, Central Asia has become a hotspot. The region’s endowment with minerals has attracted significant interest from China, Europe, the United States, Turkey and the Gulf states. At the same time, the region itself is enhancing its domestic extraction and plans to develop a value-added critical materials manufacturing infrastructure. Within this context, FES Just Climate has contracted a policy paper on stocktaking of the EU–Central Asia cooperation in this area to explore the challenges, opportunities and progress made since the latest strategic partnership agreements that were signed by the EU with Kazakhstan in 2022 and with Uzbekistan in 2024.
The findings show that despite ambitious high-level cooperation statements, the EU’s investment capacity is far more limited in comparison with China and the United States, who have been more actively present in the region. If the EU seeks to catch up, it could act quicker, offer attractive conditions and help the region strengthen its governance, infrastructure and human capital production for energy transition. The author, Roman Vakulchuk (Head of the Research Group for Climate and Energy and a senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute for International Affairs - NUPI), will present the key findings and recommendations on how the EU could strengthen its engagement with the region in critical materials. The presentation will be followed by expert comments and a discussion with the audience.