On July 6 this year, the ceremony of initialing the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA) between Uzbekistan and the European Union was held in Brussels.

The new agreement is intended to replace the current Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between Uzbekistan and the EU of 1996 and bring bilateral cooperation to a qualitatively new level.

The current agreement mainly contains provisions on political dialogue, cooperation in democracy and human rights, promotion of cultural ties, financial and technical partnership, interaction in the investment, trade in goods and services, and protection of intellectual property.

It should be noted that this agreement is no longer a framework agreement, but creates a full-fledged mechanism for comprehensive interaction between Uzbekistan and the EU, including in trade and economic cooperation.

The parties noted their mutual readiness to work together to complete the necessary legal procedures for signing the EPCA and its entry into force, and after that, to ensure its full and high-quality practical implementation.

UzA