Invest to kazakhstan
Kazakhstan foreign trade turnover.
This volume is certainly less than
in 2014 and 2015, but its decline
is caused by lower prices for the
main export positions of Kazakhstan
(hydrocarbons), rather than a
reduction in physical turnover.
In turn, Kazakhstan occupies the 34 th
position among the largest trade
partners of the EU (the 29 th place by
import and 44 th place by export). In
general, we are interested in wide
diversification of our trade with the
European Union, ensuring its best
balance.
The European Union is also the
largest investor in the Republic of
Kazakhstan. From January 2005 to
December 2015, 222.3 billion USD
of direct foreign investments were
attracted to Kazakhstan’s economy,
including 109.1 billion USD – from
the EU countries. Accordingly, 49
percent of total investments fall on
the EU countries.
Only in 2016, the foreign direct
investment from the European
Union amounted to 10.8 billion
USD (the main investors are the
Netherlands, France, United Kingdom
and Germany), which again amounts
to about 50 percent of investments
attracted this year.
Thanks to joint efforts in 2015,
Kazakhstan and EU signed a
new ‘Enhanced Partnership and
Cooperation Agreement’. I would like
to especially note that Kazakhstan
has become the first post-Soviet
country who has signed an
agreement of this format with EU.
Since 1 May 2016 this agreement,
due to its approval by the European
Commission and ratification by
Kazakhstan, has been in temporary
implementation mode, which means
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world monitor
the application of those provisions,
cooperation that is the prerogative
of the European Commission. By the
way, this applies, first of all, to the
most massive part of the EPCA – the
trade section.
The new legal base for in-depth
cooperation provided by the EPCA
allows us to conduct a dialogue on
a broader range of issues and open
up a qualitatively new stage for
Kazakhstani–European relations.
Bilateral cooperation of
Kazakhstan and EU, according to
this new agreement, covers 29
different spheres, and positions
have to be expanded. How is the
work going in this direction?
In the EPCA, together with the
further deepening of trade and
economic cooperation, we reached
an understanding to expand dialogue
in transport and energy, research
and innovation, improving the quality
of public services, customs and
sanitation.
An important place in the agreement
is given to cooperation for ensuring
human rights and freedoms,
democratization and primacy of
law, sustainable development and
strengthening the role of civil society.
In addition, the legal framework for
cooperation has been established in
areas that have not been provided
for in the current Partnership and
Cooperation Agreement 1995. Among
them – space safety, combating
proliferation of mass destruction
weapons, combating terrorism,
cooperation in the field of public
service, climate change, health, public
finance management, taxation, etc.
An import ant achievement was the
agreement on the possibility of
concurrent preparation for a treaty
that would ease the visa regime for
RK and EU citizens, simultaneously
with agreement on readmission
between RK and EU. And we are
currently conducting a very intensive
dialogue with our European partners
on these issues.
In general, implementation of this
historic document marks for both
sides a new stage of bilateral
partnership, will contribute to
significant expansion of cooperation
horizons and open up new
opportunities for cooperation in all
fields of mutual interest.
The parties place their high hopes
on this new agreement. We expect
that its consistent implementation
will allow for a significant increase
in trade volumes, first of all through
the sales of high-tech products,
generating new opportunities for
economic growth and creating jobs.
As already noted, since May 1,
2016, certain provisions of the
agreement became available
in a partial application regime.
Thus, we have started to apply
practically the provisions of the
EPCA. The Kazakhstan party is
working on implementation of the
agreement norms in the national
legislation according to the general
understandings provided for in
this document. It should be noted
also that the agreement takes into
account Kazakhstan’s obligations,
both within the WTO and Eurasian
Economic Union.
The Trade Section of EPCA is being
actively implemented. The technical
regulations are continually developed,
the trade procedures are further
simplified, active cooperation on
sanitary and phytosanitary issues