With over 30 million inhabitants, Uzbekistan is the most populous country in the region. It shares borders with all the other countries of Central Asia, as well as Afghanistan.
Recent political developments in the country have opened the way to closer international cooperation, and improved the conditions for investment and growth.
Our priorities
The EU has allocated €168 million to support sustainable development in Uzbekistan for the period 2014-2020.
EU cooperation with Uzbekistan focuses mainly on rural development and the agriculture sector, including horticulture, irrigation, water management, livestock and professional education. We also work closely with the Uzbek government to improve sector governance and public administration reform. The EU invests in sectors such as municipal infrastructure, hydropower, drinking and wastewater, as well as private sector development.
The EU promotes the exchange of best practices in horticulture and livestock that stimulate innovation and local development. To mitigate the effects of climate change in the Fergana Valley, we encourage better and more efficient use of scarce water resources through improved irrigation methods. We help improve public services to citizens in rural areas.
The EU also supports the accession of Uzbekistan to the WTO, and has opened negotiations for privileged trade relations (GSP+).
Our programmes
- Uzbekistan benefits from several regional programmes, such as higher education and TVET, regional water and energy dialogue, cooperation on climate change and disaster risk reduction, rule of law, and regional trade within Central Asia and with Afghanistan. Thematic programmes support, inter alia, stability and remediation of uranium legacy sites.
- Uzbekistan benefits from the Investment Facility for Central Asia. The Investment Facility for Central Asia provides grants to attract financial resources from financial institutions and other public and private partners for investments, technical assistance, or risk capital operations. This encourages beneficiaries to make investments, which are relevant for sustainable development and would otherwise be financially or technically difficult to realise.