DUSHANBE, May 4, Asia-Plus — The European Union (EU) intends to provide 5 million euros to support the enhancement of the business sphere in Tajikistan.
Ms Barbara Plinkert, Charge D’Affaires, the European Commission’s Delegation to Tajikistan, remarked this at a meeting with Sharif Saidov, the head of Tajikistan’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI), in Dushanbe on May 3. According to her, these funds will go to supporting the implementation of two projects in the country – improvement of the business environment and food security.
The source at a CCI said that representatives from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the World Bank and the UK Department for International Development (DFID) also attended the meeting.
According to him, the sides discussed plans of mission, which includes the mentioned organizations. During the meeting it was noted that DFID, in particular, intends to work in the field of stimulating economic growth in the private sector and plans to focus its work on strengthening the banking sector and raising loan awareness among the population, the source said.
The legal framework for EU-Tajikistan bilateral relations is the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) in 1989 between the EU and the former Soviet Union, which was endorsed by Tajikistan by exchange of letter in 1994. A Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) between the EU and Tajikistan was signed in Luxemburg in October 2004, replacing the TCA. The PCA brings EU relations with Tajikistan into line with relations with the other Central Asian countries.
The main assistance instruments used by the European Commission in Tajikistan are: Technical Assistance for the Commonwealth of Independent States (TACIS), the Food Security Program (FSP), the Exceptional Financial Assistance (EFA), the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) and humanitarian assistance (ECHO).
