Uzbekistan

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. 

The EU supports Uzbekistan towards sustainable and inclusive development, in line with the “Uzbekistan 2030” strategy, the Global Gateway Strategy, and the EU Strategy for Central Asia. Our action builds on Uzbekistan’s commitment to effective and accountable public services, transitioning to an open and inclusive green economy, and improving the lives of the country's citizens. 

The EU, together with Czechia, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank, France, Germany, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovenia and Switzerland, adopted a Joint Programming Document for the period 2021-27 under the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI-Global Europe).  

Under that framework, the EU allocated €76 million in grant funding to support its partnership with Uzbekistan for the period 2021-24. Uzbekistan also benefits from a number of EU regional programmes and from investments under European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus (EFSD+), Global Gateway’s main financial tool. 

Team Europe in Uzbekistan focuses its action on:  

• Agri-food and rural livelihoods - to enhance the agri-food sector's competitiveness, promote environmentally friendly practices, and create opportunities that will build more resilient rural livelihoods. Team Europe support focuses on:
  • Sustainable and inclusive food systems: addressing the risk of exclusion in the transition and promoting the competitiveness and market inclusion of the most disadvantaged producers in low-carbon and climate-resilient value-chains 
  • Water and degraded lands: improving drinking water distribution and restoring degraded lands, including by supporting reforms in the water sector, and increasing water efficiency through technical measures and tariffs
     
• Green transition and growth – to support Uzbekistan’s green ambitions, it focuses on: 
  • Supporting the practical implementation of Uzbekistan’s “Strategy for Transition to Green Economy” (2020-2030)  
  • Supporting the implementation and ratification of relevant international conventions for the Sound Management of Hazardous Chemicals Technical Assistance Programme
     
• Governance – for improved governance in Uzbekistan, EU support focuses:  
  • Strengthening the fight against corruption including through an improved legal framework and more effective institutional reforms  
  • Strengthening the capacities of the Ministry of Justice as coordinator of law-making activities and guarantor of a unified state legal policy
     
• Water, climate change and energy - to improve regional integrated water-energy resource management, promote food security, decent jobs, and growth and sustainable development in Central Asia, as well as increased investment for a green transition through a dedicated regional Team Europe Initiative
    
• Digital Connectivity - to establish an enabling environment for digital connectivity, promote regulatory and legislative reforms, and last mile access for vulnerable communities and cybersecurity by following higher standards in terms of sustainability and inclusiveness through a dedicated regional Team Europe Initiative
    
• Transport - the EU also commits strongly to strengthen its engagement for improving transport connectivity along the Trans-Caspian Corridor with Central Asia, including with Turkmenistan, following the recommendations of the Study on Sustainable Transport Connections between Europe and Central Asia

EU Delegation to Uzbekistan