13th meeting of the Kazakhstan-European Union dialogue platform chaired by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Alikhan Smailov
The 13th meeting of the Kazakhstan-European Union dialogue platform was held in Astana under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Alikhan Smailov. The event was held with the participation of the first heads of central government agencies, representatives of the diplomatic corps and business.
At the meeting, issues of improving the tax and customs systems of the republic, development of the pharmaceutical industry, geological exploration and agricultural industry, licensing, lending and business support, reducing the burden during export-import operations, as well as a number of others were discussed in detail.
In his speech, the Prime Minister noted that today the European Union is the largest trade and investment partner of Kazakhstan. The total volume of European investments exceeded $175 billion. In particular, over 6 months, EU countries invested $5,2 billion in the economy of Kazakhstan.
“The EU’s share in Kazakhstan’s foreign trade is about 30%. Over 10 months, our trade turnover exceeded $34 billion. These figures reflect our consistent course towards increasing trade and economic cooperation,” - said Alikhan Smailov.
He added that today more than 3 thousand European companies are successfully operating in various sectors of the economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, including the largest transnational corporations such as Shell, Eni, Air Liquide, Alstom and Claas.
“This year has been very fruitful in the development of investment cooperation. Our joint pool is replenished with new major projects. Vivid examples are the implementation of a project for the production of green hydrogen by Svevind, the conclusion of an agreement with Total on the construction of a wind farm with a capacity of 1 GW, Knauf’s plans to open a 4th plant for the production of plasterboard, as well as the launch of large-scale assembly of vehicles by Scania.”,” said the head of the Government.
According to him, the trend of expanding the presence of European companies in Kazakhstan is a direct confirmation of the increasing investment attractiveness of the republic.
It was noted that creating favorable conditions for business and improving the investment climate remain among the Government’s priorities.
“We strive to create the most favorable conditions for the influx of high-quality and long-term investments. To achieve this, the regulatory framework and investment support tools are constantly being improved in accordance with the best international standards.",” emphasized Alikhan Smailov.
The Prime Minister recalled that Kazakhstan has adopted the Investment Policy Concept until 2026, taking into account ESG standards. To provide projects with quality infrastructure, a National Infrastructure Plan until 2029 is being developed. As part of the new Tax Code, a service administration model will be introduced.
“For the convenience of investors in obtaining government services and high-quality support for projects, a National Digital Investment Platform is being developed,” - said Alikhan Smailov.
In general, according to him, the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan will continue consistent state policy aimed at creating a favorable investment climate.
Source: primeminister.kz