Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA) between the EU and Uzbekistan signed in Brussels

On Friday, October 24, a new Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA) between the European Union and the Republic of Uzbekistan was signed in Brussels. The agreement was signed by Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas, and the European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, in the presence of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and European leaders Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa.

In a year full of milestones on the EU–Uzbekistan agenda such as 2025, following the First EU–Central Asia Summit in Samarkand and the subsequent elevation of relations to a strategic partnership, the recent meeting in Brussels with the Uzbek delegation confirmed the willingness to consolidate a comprehensive cooperation. Indeed, the agreement aims not only to strengthen political and institutional dialogue but also bilateral ties in trade, investment, research, and sustainable development.

In the joint statement by the signatories, emphasis is placed on cooperation in the fields of security and cybersecurity, as well as on increasing European investments in Central Asia under the Global Gateway strategy. In this regard, the importance of investments in critical materials and connectivity for the development of the Middle Corridor is highlighted.

Furthermore, the agreement aims at expanding and diversifying bilateral trade; particularly significant is the statement expressing openness to greater labor mobility and potential facilitation in the visa process.

The adoption of this new agreement represents a further step forward in the development of Tashkent’s relations with the EU and its member states and formalizes the conclusion of negotiations between the two parties regarding market access for services and goods. This last point constitutes a crucial milestone in Uzbekistan’s process of accession to the World Trade Organization, a process for which the EU has officially expressed its political support.

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For additional information, please contact CIUZ’s secretariat at the following address:

Samantha Rampini

Chamber of Commerce Italy-Uzbekistan

Via Monte Rosa, 93

20149 Milano