A gathering on March 5th hosted by the Kazakh Embassy in Belgium drew around 60 high-ranking officials from the European Union and representatives of the EU business community. The focal point of this significant meeting was the collaboration between Kazakhstan and Europe concerning critical raw materials (CRM), green hydrogen, and batteries.
In a landmark move in November 2022, Kazakhstan and the European Union inked a Memorandum of Understanding on sustainable raw materials, batteries, and renewable hydrogen value chains. This was accompanied by the adoption of a detailed Roadmap for implementation throughout 2023.
During the March 5th meeting, Bolat Akchulakov, energy advisor to the president of Kazakhstan, underscored the strategic importance of the Kazakhstan-EU Memorandum of Understanding. He emphasized its role in fostering a strategic partnership to collectively pursue the objectives of a green transition.
Luc Devigne, deputy managing director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia of the European External Action Service (EEAS), hailed the Kazakhstan-EU relationship as a “success story of cooperation.” He expressed the EU’s commitment to further fortify this partnership, ensuring the sustainability of supply chains and mutual achievement of climate change goals.
As part of the event, Kazakhstan’s national company, Kazakh Invest, delivered a comprehensive report on CRM at its Brussels office. It was highlighted that Kazakhstan currently produces 19 out of the 34 critical raw materials listed by the European Union.
The report further pointed out that Kazakh manufacturers presently supply the EU with beryllium, tantalum, and titanium. There exists untapped potential to explore other raw materials in Kazakhstan, with the prospect of establishing processing plants for nickel, cobalt, manganese, and lithium. This strategic move would enable Kazakh enterprises to contribute significantly to the production of batteries, a vital component for electric vehicles.
