EU to allocate 9.3 million euros to Uzbekistan
By Vusala Abbasova
The agriculture of Uzbekistan will soon be fully equipped with the European know-how and technologies in the field of animal husbandry, horticulture and vegetable growing.
This equipment will significantly facilitate the process of organization of production before its further sale.
The country will get all necessary equipment under the European Union (EU) grant assistance in the amount of 9.3 million euros, according to the EU.
As many as six Uzbekistan's regions will get help in the field of agriculture, including the Namangan, Andijan, Ferghana, Jizzakh, Syrdarya and Kashkadarya regions.
The 36-month project will be implemented by consortium headed by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH (Germany).
This consortium contains the Agence pour le développement de la coopération internationale dans les domaines de l'agriculture, de l'alimentation et des espaces ruraux (ADECIA) from France, the Associazione Italiana Allevatori (AIA) from Italy, and the Center for Entrepreneurship and Executive Development (CEED ) from Bulgaria.
The current EU grant assistance is part of the financial assistance worth of 168 million euros that was planned to allocate to Uzbekistan in 2014-2020, according to Yuri Sterk, the head of the EU delegation in Uzbekistan.
Earlier, Sterk said that the volume of EU financial assistance to Uzbekistan will double in 2014-2020 from 70.6 million euros in 2007-2013.
The EU mainly focuses on the projects on the development of rural areas in Uzbekistan, in particular, improving irrigation infrastructure, introducing renewable energy in agribusiness, as well as assisting program on creation on jobs in the country's regions.
Uzbekistan as the most populous country in the very heart of Central Asia is an important partner for the EU.
Relations between the EU and Uzbekistan are based on the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) which entered into force in 1999. Since this time, the EU has allocated considerable amount of money to develop the domestic industry of the country.
The EU allocated 28.6 million euros to Uzbekistan in 2007-2010 and 42 million euros in 2011-2013.
The EU also allocated 23 million euros to the development of education in Uzbekistan in 1994-2010 in the framework of the Tempus program. The grants allocated to the reform of the criminal law in 2011-2014 amounted to 9.7 million euros, the protection of health of mother and child in 2012-2016 - some 6.7 million euros, and the training of business managers in 2013-2016 - some 3 million euros.
The EU and Uzbekistan also cooperate in the framework of a regional approach which includes all five Central Asian countries: the EU and Central Asia strategy for a new partnership (2007).
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