World Monitor Magazine, Business and Investments WM_march 2019_web | Page 26

DESTINATION europe
in Astana is a great opportunity to
demonstrate that Kazakhstan is not
only open for business but is willing
to be a model for sustainable trade
openness in a moment where very
damaging protectionist tendencies
are spreading. The EU is very keen to
cooperate with Kazakhstan and other
like-minded partners to make the
Conference a success.
Should we expect negotiation in
regards to the visa facilitation for
citizens of Kazakhstan? Will it allow
to reduce the number of documents
required for issuing visas, reduce
the amount of consular fees,
shorten the time for consideration
of documents?
The European Union is fully aware of
Kazakhstan’s interest in concluding
a Visa Facilitation Agreement and
we appreciate the reforms you have
already undertaken in this regard. Your
decision to lift the visa requirements
for EU citizens in early 2017 is a proof
of strong commitment in enhancing
our relations and improving people-to-
people contacts.
From our part, a few days ago the
European Union adopted a new EU Visa
Code. The changes will be applicable
six months after the text is published
in the Official Journal of the EU, most
probably in September.
The new EU Visa code will simplify
procedures
and
conditions
for
requesting and issuing short-stay
visas and will use the visa policy to
encourage all non-EU countries –
including Kazakhstan – to cooperate
on migration. The main purpose of
the reform is to facilitate legitimate
travel for tourism, trade and business,
whilst preventing irregular immigration
and contributing to internal security.
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Procedures for bona fide travellers
will be simpler, and there will be
a direct link between visa and
migration policy. Allow me to recall
that the current EU Visa Code
already grants to these travellers a
number of facilities to obtain short-
stay visas from which, according
to our visa statistics, citizens of
Kazakhstan are already benefiting
by a very low visa refusal rate (3.7%
in 2017).
Are there any plans to increase
cooperation in the field of security,
rule of law, countering challenges and
threats, environmental protection,
energy and education, including in
the regional format in the framework
of the new EU Strategy for Central
Asia, which is scheduled for approval
in the middle of this year?
You properly pointed out that the
new EU Central Asia Strategy is still
under development, so it would be
a bit premature to go into detail at
this stage. But from our part the EU
Delegation plans to provide support for
sustainable economic development,
including
investment
promotion,
through a mix of actions mainly
funded by the EU’s Development
Cooperation Instrument (DCI). DCI
provides funding for the Investment
Facility for Central Asia (IFCA) that
finance so-called ‘blending’ projects,
including
infrastructure
projects
in the field of waste management,
water and renewable energy and
SME development. It also funds
country specific interventions carried
out as part of regional programmes
related to climate change mitigation,
environmental protection, water,
rule of law and education. The
latter includes EU-Central Asia
Cooperation on Water, Environment
and Climate Change (WECOOP),
the Central Asia Energy and Water
Development Programme (CAEWDP),
Nexus Dialogue, the EU-CA Education
Platform, Erasmus+, Central Asia
Invest and SWITCH (green economy
transition for SMEs). WECOOP,
CAEWDP and Nexus support various
aspects of policy and legislative
reforms and interregional dialogue
as well as advice on the investment
project
pipeline.
Kazakhstan’s
participation in the EU's large
Horizon 2020 research programmes
can also serve to promote the
country’s economic development.
All programmes are expected to be
of interest to EU based investors,
producers, suppliers and service
providers.
The EU is also implementing a
number of regional programmes
addressing various aspects of security.
These include BOMCA (on border
management), CADAP (on drug actions
– demand side. i.e. treatment and
prevention), EU ACT (Drug action
– supply side, i.e. policing), CBRN
(training and advice on the handling
of Chemical, Biological, Radiological
and Nuclear materials), Countering
terrorism (anti-terrorist financing
actions, prevention of radicalisation in
prisons) and regional cooperation to
support stabilization and development
in Afghanistan. A ‘triangular’ project
is currently under preparation on
economic empowerment of Afghan
women through education at higher
education institutions in Kazakhstan
and Uzbekistan. Kazakhstan will
also benefit from a new regional
action starting in 2019 on Disaster
Risk Reduction (DRR). The Centre
for Emergency Situation and DRR
(CESDRR) in Almaty, which was
established with EU support, will play
a key role in the implementation of
the new regional programme.