On 18 April, during the Subcommittee on Justice and Home Affairs, the EU reaffirmed its support to the rule of law reforms and the importance of an independent and impartial justice system and gave an overview of the implementation of the Central Asia Rule of Law programme. Support to the rule of law remains one of the priority areas of EU funding for the period 2021-2027.

The two sides took stock of ongoing judicial reforms, which aim to increase the rights of citizens and access to fair justice. The EU and Kazakhstan discussed judicial cooperation in civil and criminal matters. The EU took note of Kazakhstan’s efforts to accede to Council of Europe Conventions in the field of cooperation in criminal matters. The EU underlined the overarching importance of efforts on anti-corruption and encouraged Kazakhstan to pursue its efforts in this regard. The EU welcomed Kazakhstan’s efforts to tackle money laundering and to comply with Financial Action Task Force (FATF) conditions.

The EU and Kazakhstan took stock of ongoing technical dialogue on visa facilitations in the framework of the EU Visa Code.

The EU and Kazakhstan had a comprehensive exchange on migration, asylum and border management, and the fight against human trafficking and assistance to victims. The EU side expressed readiness to continue cooperation in these areas.

The two sides took stock of the ongoing cooperation projects, including the EU-funded Border Management Programme in Central Asia (BOMCA) and the EU-funded Central Asia Drug Action Programme (CADAP). The two sides discussed the importance of international and regional cooperation in countering terrorism and the prevention of violent extremism.

The delegation of Kazakhstan at JHA subcommittee was led by Mr. Galymzhan Koigeldiyev, Deputy Prosecutor General of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The EU Delegation was headed by Mr. Dietmar Krissler, Head of Central Asia Division of the European External Action Service.