Closer engagement with Central Asia

The coherence and effectiveness of European Union policy vis-à-vis Central Asian countries have increased considerably, emphasizes - in an exclusive interview for the Council website - Pierre Morel, EU Special Representative in the region.

Pierre Morel, EU Special Representative
for Central Asia
Photo: Council of the European Union

Ambassador, is the European Union more effective and visible in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan since your mission started in October 2006?

The EU has acquired higher visibility in many areas since my mission started, as EU member states and the European Commission have shown increasing interest in closer engagement with this region. The coherence and effectiveness of EU policy vis-à-vis Central Asian countries have therefore increased considerably, and the adoption of the EU Strategy for a New Partnership with Central Asia has had a particular impact on this process. Let me list the most important developments: on top of numerous bilateral programmes and projects, the EU has launched two regional initiatives - one on the rule of law and another on education - coordinated by Germany, France and the European Commission. We also have established regional platform for cooperation on environment and water, which is coordinated by Italy and by the Commission.

The EU is working actively to promote our values in Central Asia. For that purpose, we have launched regular human rights dialogues with all Central Asian countries. At the same time, we have embarked on new spheres of cooperation, addressing security and stability issues in multilateral format. The French Presidency organised the first-ever EU-Central Asia Security Forum that was held in Paris last year and the Swedish Presidency intends to continue this process by holding an Open Ministerial Troika meeting with Central Asian countries this September.

Needless to say, the EU's current presence in Central Asia is gradually getting stronger. EU member states and the European Commission are opening new representations - embassies and delegations - in the region. Nonetheless, much remains to be done in the future. I hope that with the expected establishment of European External Action Service both the presence and the visibility of the EU in Central Asia will increase further.

What is the impact of the global economic and financial crisis on Central Asian countries?

The impact of the global crisis on Central Asia is not even. Countries with relatively open economies have suffered more than others. Kazakhstan's financial sector and building industry have been badly hit by the crisis. Tajikistan is feeling the consequences of decreasing flow of remittances sent home by people working in Russia and elsewhere. Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan are doing considerably better. Nevertheless, nobody is fully protected. The crisis may have important side-effects. We are speaking not only of purely economic dimension, but also of social consequences - unemployment, reverse migration of labour migrants, etc. This may push people towards crime, drug use or religious fundamentalism and extremism, threatening the stability of a region already exposed to developments in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

How is the EU involved in one of the strategic areas identified by the EU Strategy for a New Partnership with Central Asia - energy?

The EU is doing a lot to remove the remaining obstacles to exports of Central Asian energy resources - primarily natural gas - towards Europe, in order to enhance the energy security of the member states. The main objective is to create the Southern Corridor of energy resources which was put forward by the Czech Presidency on the occasion of the 8 May Prague Summit. We have achieved quite a lot, but the process will bring tangible results only in 5-7 years, when Central Asian gas will start flowing to Europe through the Nabucco pipeline. On the other hand, the EU is doing a lot to establish conditions for long-term energy cooperation with Central Asian countries: it has concluded Memorandums of Understanding on cooperation in the energy sector with Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, and there are active contacts with Uzbekistan. Last, but not least, energy means not only hydrocarbons, but also electricity. In the future the EU will have to do more to support the development of Hydro Electric Power Plants and solar energy in Central Asia.