Aleska Simkic, Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Kazakhstan, shared her expert views on the EU's actions and achievements in addressing global challenges such as climate change, energy security, migration, and foreign policy in 2024.
Simkic believes that 2024 marked significant achievements in addressing global challenges like climate change, energy security, and migration.
“2024 was a year of numerous challenges. The consequences of the climate change have become increasingly visible in the EU and in Kazakhstan, with the April floods. It made us all aware that we need to do more in prevention, adaptation and mitigation. Energy security is the topic for all, and has come to the forefront due to geopolitical tensions.
One way to ensure the energy security is also to use the natural resources sustainably and invest more in renewables. Migration will remain a problem as long as there are conflicts in the world and climate change on the rise; the two are often connected,” says Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Kazakhstan.
She highlighted the EU's crucial role in securing the climate finance deal at COP-29.
“The EU’s role was decisive in securing the breakthrough climate finance deal, reached at COP-29 in Baku: it was agreed to raise climate-financing levels for developing countries to 1.3 trillion annually by 2035. Moreover, the agreement contains a review clause to even further increase this figure in 2030, based on reports commissioned for 2026 and 2027—to be known as the “Baku to Belem” dialogue,” noted Simkic.
Ambassador emphasized the EU's focus on critical raw materials (CRMs) essential for renewable energy technologies. In 2024, the EU adopted the Critical Raw Materials (CRM) Act and established new partnerships with countries such as Uzbekistan and Greenland. Kazakhstan was the first country in CA to sign an MoU on Critical Raw Materials with the EU already in 2022.
“Globally we have such partnerships with 13 countries of the world. Another success was that we united our partnership efforts with the USA, and we joined forces within the network called Mineral Security Partnership. It gathers our key CRM partners and aims to accelerate the development of critical energy minerals supply chains through working with host governments and industry to facilitate financial and diplomatic support for strategic projects along the value chain. In this spirit, we are now preparing the 2025-26 CRM Roadmap with Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan is a key partner of the EU in this area, the cooperation is going very well and I am sure that we will develop in the very near future a number of joint projects in this area,” says Simkic.
The European Green Deal remains a top priority for the EU, and its progress has been promising. In the context of energy security, the EU has successfully managed to regain control over energy markets, stabilize prices, and accelerate the transition toward a climate-neutral future. According to Ambassador, the EU’s green hydrogen partnership with Kazakhstan, along with the regional Team Large Europe Initiative on water and energy, are contributing to this broader vision of energy transformation.
Migration remains a significant global challenge, exacerbated by ongoing conflicts and the effects of climate change. In 2024, the EU made progress with the new Pact on Migration and Asylum, which introduces a set of unified rules for managing migration and asylum systems.
In terms of foreign policy, Ambassador noted that the EU continued to be strong supporters of the UN Charter and all its provisions, and would like to continue cooperating closely with countries that share the same view, including Kazakhstan.
Ambassador Simkic also noted significant decisions such as the EU-Mercosur trade deal:
“The EU/Mercosur trade deal, reached at the end of the year, prepared the creation of the world’s largest free trade zone, uniting all EU countries as well as Mercosur countries (Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil), with a combined population of over 700 million. The deal is now ready for ratification by EU Member States,” notes Simkic.
This year was also marked by significant elections around the world, as well as a critical year for European democracy with the European Parliament elections held in June.
“We observed numerous cases of foreign interference, disinformation campaigns, and the rising divisions in our societies. Nevertheless, we are pleased that the second von der Leyen Commission officially started its work on 1 December 2024,” says Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Kazakhstan.
She also highlighted the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Artificial Intelligence Act as major successes, with the EU establishing a modern legal framework for online safety and global standards for AI governance.
“The first one – DSA – was adopted in 2022, but its full application to all actors of the digital market dates from 2024. It was a major success, as the EU has now a modern legal framework that ensures the safety of users online, establishes governance with the protection of fundamental rights at its forefront, and maintains fair and open online platform environment. And this means all international players need to follow EU rules when operating in the EU. The second one – AI Act – is the first such comprehensive legislation globally, which obviously gives the EU a very strong position in tackling this new phenomenon, and setting further global standards,” notes Simkic.
Additionally, she emphasized that the EU's proactive policies and the Global Gateway initiative are yielding positive results in cooperation with Central Asia. She specifically highlighted the progress in the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor, noting that it is not just an infrastructure project but one that includes soft elements aimed at improving mobility and connectivity between people.
Earlier it was reported that the Council of Europe had announced support for Kazakhstan’s anti-corruption efforts.
Source: inform.kz
Simkic believes that 2024 marked significant achievements in addressing global challenges like climate change, energy security, and migration.
“2024 was a year of numerous challenges. The consequences of the climate change have become increasingly visible in the EU and in Kazakhstan, with the April floods. It made us all aware that we need to do more in prevention, adaptation and mitigation. Energy security is the topic for all, and has come to the forefront due to geopolitical tensions.
One way to ensure the energy security is also to use the natural resources sustainably and invest more in renewables. Migration will remain a problem as long as there are conflicts in the world and climate change on the rise; the two are often connected,” says Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Kazakhstan.
She highlighted the EU's crucial role in securing the climate finance deal at COP-29.
“The EU’s role was decisive in securing the breakthrough climate finance deal, reached at COP-29 in Baku: it was agreed to raise climate-financing levels for developing countries to 1.3 trillion annually by 2035. Moreover, the agreement contains a review clause to even further increase this figure in 2030, based on reports commissioned for 2026 and 2027—to be known as the “Baku to Belem” dialogue,” noted Simkic.
Ambassador emphasized the EU's focus on critical raw materials (CRMs) essential for renewable energy technologies. In 2024, the EU adopted the Critical Raw Materials (CRM) Act and established new partnerships with countries such as Uzbekistan and Greenland. Kazakhstan was the first country in CA to sign an MoU on Critical Raw Materials with the EU already in 2022.
“Globally we have such partnerships with 13 countries of the world. Another success was that we united our partnership efforts with the USA, and we joined forces within the network called Mineral Security Partnership. It gathers our key CRM partners and aims to accelerate the development of critical energy minerals supply chains through working with host governments and industry to facilitate financial and diplomatic support for strategic projects along the value chain. In this spirit, we are now preparing the 2025-26 CRM Roadmap with Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan is a key partner of the EU in this area, the cooperation is going very well and I am sure that we will develop in the very near future a number of joint projects in this area,” says Simkic.
The European Green Deal remains a top priority for the EU, and its progress has been promising. In the context of energy security, the EU has successfully managed to regain control over energy markets, stabilize prices, and accelerate the transition toward a climate-neutral future. According to Ambassador, the EU’s green hydrogen partnership with Kazakhstan, along with the regional Team Large Europe Initiative on water and energy, are contributing to this broader vision of energy transformation.
Migration remains a significant global challenge, exacerbated by ongoing conflicts and the effects of climate change. In 2024, the EU made progress with the new Pact on Migration and Asylum, which introduces a set of unified rules for managing migration and asylum systems.
In terms of foreign policy, Ambassador noted that the EU continued to be strong supporters of the UN Charter and all its provisions, and would like to continue cooperating closely with countries that share the same view, including Kazakhstan.
Ambassador Simkic also noted significant decisions such as the EU-Mercosur trade deal:
“The EU/Mercosur trade deal, reached at the end of the year, prepared the creation of the world’s largest free trade zone, uniting all EU countries as well as Mercosur countries (Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil), with a combined population of over 700 million. The deal is now ready for ratification by EU Member States,” notes Simkic.
This year was also marked by significant elections around the world, as well as a critical year for European democracy with the European Parliament elections held in June.
“We observed numerous cases of foreign interference, disinformation campaigns, and the rising divisions in our societies. Nevertheless, we are pleased that the second von der Leyen Commission officially started its work on 1 December 2024,” says Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Kazakhstan.
She also highlighted the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Artificial Intelligence Act as major successes, with the EU establishing a modern legal framework for online safety and global standards for AI governance.
“The first one – DSA – was adopted in 2022, but its full application to all actors of the digital market dates from 2024. It was a major success, as the EU has now a modern legal framework that ensures the safety of users online, establishes governance with the protection of fundamental rights at its forefront, and maintains fair and open online platform environment. And this means all international players need to follow EU rules when operating in the EU. The second one – AI Act – is the first such comprehensive legislation globally, which obviously gives the EU a very strong position in tackling this new phenomenon, and setting further global standards,” notes Simkic.
Additionally, she emphasized that the EU's proactive policies and the Global Gateway initiative are yielding positive results in cooperation with Central Asia. She specifically highlighted the progress in the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor, noting that it is not just an infrastructure project but one that includes soft elements aimed at improving mobility and connectivity between people.
Earlier it was reported that the Council of Europe had announced support for Kazakhstan’s anti-corruption efforts.
Source: inform.kz