Critical raw materials - How can the EU and Kazakhstan cooperate?

Euractiv Talks

Kazakhstan is a major producer of critical raw materials (CRMs), and an increasingly important energy supplier for the European Union. Metals and chemicals from Kazakhstan are helpful in the EU’s efforts to advance the green and digital transition. The Central-Asian state is becoming a key player in supporting EU sectors such as the net-zero industry, space, defence, and technology.

The EU-Kazakhstan relations were recently strengthened by the Annual Cooperation Council which took place in October 2024, which aims to strengthen political, economic and trade cooperation. Cooperation in the raw material sector was particularly reinforced by the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed in November 2022.

Kazakhstan’s recent accession to the Mineral Security Partnership (MSP) Forum, which serves as a new platform for cooperation in the CRMs area, also broadened EU-Kazakhstan relations further.

In the context of the upcoming European Commission’s Raw Materials Week 2024, listen to this Euractiv Conference to explore the future of EU-Kazakhstan relations in the CRM sector and the emerging opportunities driven by the EU’s green and digital transitions. Questions to be discussed include:

- What are the implications of the Mineral Security Partnership Forum for EU-Kazakhstan cooperation in the CRMs area?
- How can the MSP Forum support sustainability and diversification of the CRMs supply chains in EU-Kazakhstan trade relations?
- Does the scaling up of Kazakhstan’s CRMs production align with the EU’s green and digital transition ambitions?