Phnom Penh, 13 March 2024: Today, H.E. Jutta Urpilainen, European Commissioner for International Partnerships and H.E. Chhieng Yanara, Senior Minister of the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) met for a forward-looking exchange on the partnership and cooperation between Team Europe (the European Union and its Member States) and the RGC.
The dialogue celebrated the roll-out of two Team Europe Initiatives (TEIs) for Cambodia, one focusing on “Green Agribusiness and Decent Jobs”, with an estimated value of 1.1 billion USD (1 billion EUR), and the other on “Green Factories and Decent Jobs” with an estimated value of 430 million USD (400 million EUR) . These Initiatives provide a framework for Team Europe to converge towards shared objectives in policy sectors that are priority for both the EU and Cambodia, notably sustainable, green agri-business, green factories and decent jobs.
European Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen said: “EU proposes a value-based cooperation that ensures the highest social and environmental standards, as key elements of competitiveness for our economies and markets”. Her wish was for “Team Europe and the Royal Government to aim for ambitious transformational impact in the sectors of our cooperation, and for EU-Cambodia cooperation to become a reference example of partnerships that thrive on the respect of international values and principles, fully aligned with our Global Gateway investment strategy”.
H.E. Senior Minister Chhieng Yanara highly appreciated the supports of European partners and good cooperation and partnership between Cambodia, European Union and its partners. H.E. Senior Minister also stated that: “The RGC welcome these initiatives as building blocks of the European Joint Development Cooperation Strategy for Cambodia, 2021-2027 and very supportive of the Pentagonal Strategy-Phase I of the Government”.
The two TEIs for Cambodia promote sustainable value chains and better integration of Cambodian products into regional and international markets, with skills development, trade related assistance and public finance management being cross-cutting.
At the dialogue, Team Europe also presented three flagships under the Global Gateway investment strategy to the CDC, the EU global strategy for smart investments:
1) “Water treatment plant in Bakheng”, Phnom Penh, providing clean water for industry and urban population;
2) “One Health”, improving international and regional cooperation on the One Health approach in the fight against pandemics; and
3) “Education for green and digital jobs”, aiming at training middle-to high-level professional technicians with the skills needed by Cambodia’s industrial policy objectives.
Both sides agreed to move forward guided by enhanced policy dialogue and a multi-actor approach to implementation, involving all relevant ministries and stakeholders on the EU and Cambodia side, such as private sector and the civil society.
The European Commissioner has selected Cambodia as the first country to visit in South East Asia. At the dialogue event she was joined by H.E. Igor Driesmans, EU Ambassador; H.E. Martin Vavra, Ambassador of the Czech Republic; H.E. Istvan Bakos, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. Embassy of Hungary; Jost Kadel, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Germany; Fabrice Etienne, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of France; Camilla Ottosson, Minister Counsellor, Head of Section Office, Embassy of Sweden; Sandrine Boucher, Country Director of the Agence Française de Développement; Christian Disler, Deputy Director of the Swiss Cooperation Office and Consular Agency in Cambodia.
Background: “Team Europe Initiatives” (TEIs) steer and coordinate EU and EU Member States’ programmes to converge towards selected common goals for partner Governments and Team Europe. The TEI also offer a new concept of international partnership, where European actors join forces and offer a whole array of instruments, such as grants, loans, guarantees, blending, technical assistance, and private sector investments. TEIs create opportunities to mobilise some additional loan financing for investments from European Financing Institutions under the Global Gateway – Europe, the European strategy “to boost smart, clean and secure links in digital, energy and transport sectors and to strengthen health, education and research systems across the world”. Global Gateway seeks a transformational impact, mobilising technical expertise and smart investments respecting the highest social and environmental standards, in line with the EU’s interests and values.
