EU leaders met Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Brussels on Monday and signed agreements covering aviation links, transport infrastructure and cooperation on critical raw materials.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa hosted Tokayev and issued a joint statement alongside “several agreements” intended to benefit citizens and businesses on both sides, the Commission informed on Tuesday.
One of the deals is a Horizontal Aviation Agreement designed to widen air services rights between the EU and Kazakhstan. Under the agreement, any EU airline will be able to operate flights between Kazakhstan and any of the 17 EU member states that already have bilateral air services agreements with Kazakhstan, rather than limiting access mainly to airlines owned and controlled by those specific states.
Transport corridor funding and lab plans
The Commission also announced a framework loan agreement for up to €150 million between the European Investment Bank and the Kazakh National Road Company, backed by an EU guarantee.
The funding is to support road upgrades along the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor — a route across Central Asia and the Caspian Sea used for East–West trade.
In addition, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Kazakh government signed a memorandum of understanding to support a feasibility study for an internationally accredited chemical-analytical laboratory in Astana focused on critical raw materials. Such laboratories test materials for safety and quality.
The Commission noted negotiations had also concluded on a Visa Facilitation Agreement and a Readmission Agreement. It added the visa deal would simplify the process for Kazakh citizens applying for short-stay EU visas, while the readmission agreement would support enforcement of the EU’s migration rules.
On the business side, the Commission said Tokayev and EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič held a roundtable with European companies, and that Kazakhstan signed an agreement to buy up to 50 Airbus aircraft.
The EU’s relationship with Kazakhstan is based on the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, in force since 2020, and the EU is Kazakhstan’s largest trade and investment partner, accounting for about one third of Kazakhstan’s external trade.
