Обзор: Region: Central Asia

The Federal Government has dealt with the German Sustainability Strategy 2021. The strategy commits to implementing the SDGs and sees science as a key player in this process. Education, research, and innovation are explicitly highlighted in the strategy when it comes to supporting the transformation process towards greater sustainability. The BMFTR (The Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space) has taken on the topic of sustainability.Sustainability has been adopted as an important guiding principle, and research programs such as FONA (Research for Sustainability) have been established for its implementation. Against the backdrop of global challenges and the aim of considering all countries equally in the strategy (inclusion as a key strategic goal), international research cooperation is of great importance.Thus the UN Sustainable Development Goals strengthen international cooperation and promote the exchange of knowledge and technologies to ensure a sustainable future for all.

A key aspect of the strategy is the promotion of Research and Innovation Partnership and cooperation agreements, as well as specific programs such as the Horizon 2020 framework program for research and innovation, support joint research projects and the exchange of knowledge and technologies. This collaboration contributes to.Strengthening scientific capacities in Central Asia and at the same time the access to new markets and resources to enable European researchers.

The three central concerns mentioned in the strategy paper are:

Resilience.The EU aims to make the states of Central Asia more resilient to internal and external challenges. This includes supporting reforms in areas such as the rule of law, human rights, democracy, and the independence of the judiciary. Cooperation on security issues, environmental concerns, and migration is also part of this objective.

Prosperity.A key objective is to support economic diversification and private sector development in Central Asia. The EU promotes trade within and outside the region, investment, and the improvement of working conditions. Particular emphasis is placed on developing a competitive private sector and cooperation in the area of ​​critical raw materials.

Regional Cooperation.The strategy aims to strengthen cooperation between Central Asian states, as many challenges are best addressed jointly. This also includes better cooperation between the EU and its member states to increase policy effectiveness.

Current and future research collaborations are specifically aligned with the challenges and priorities of the EU strategy. Current research priorities include:

Sustainable connectivity: Support for the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor to improve trade routes between Central Asia and Europe, based on the Global Gateway Initiative.

Digital Agenda:Initiative to bridge the digital divide and promote digital networking.

Energy and Environment:Cooperation on critical raw materials (e.g. through agreements for sustainable supply chains) and innovative water-energy cooperation.

Security policy:Increased dialogue on cybersecurity, hybrid threats, counter-terrorism and border security.

To this end, the first summit between the EU leaders and the heads of state and government of the five Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) took place in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on April 4, 2025.

Overall, the EU Central Asia Strategy contributes to intensifying and expanding research cooperation between the EU and Central Asia by creating a framework for joint projects and the exchange of knowledge and technologies.

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