Phnom Penh, 12 March 2024: Today, European Commissioner for International Partnerships H.E. Jutta Urpilainen, representatives from the European Union Member States and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance of Cambodia, H.E. Dr. Aun Pornmoniroth launched four new EU programmes in Cambodia with a focus on promoting sustainable value chains, energy efficiency and renewable energy. These initiatives aim to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, enhance energy security, and integrate Cambodian products into regional and international markets. The EU's support also includes measures to involve a wide range of non-governmental players in promoting the green transition.

H.E. Jutta Urpilainen, European Commissioner for International Partnerships said:

“This visit is great opportunity for the EU and Cambodia to take stock of our longstanding cooperation while we look together towards a shared future through the launch of four new programmes in key sectors, supporting sustainable economic development and job creation, and to foster concrete cooperation in critical domains. The European Union is committed to its partnership with Cambodia, as Team Europe to promote the green and digital transitions and to accompany Cambodia through the upcoming graduation from Least Developed Country status. The Global Gateway investment strategy will be the EU tool available to Cambodia in this juncture.”

H.E. Dr. Aun Pornmoniroth, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance of Cambodia, expressed his deep appreciation to the EU as well as H.E. Jutta Urpilainen, European Commissioner for International Partnerships, for their invaluable support and assistance to Cambodia’s socio-economic development. He reiterated that under the EU Global Gateway Strategy, the launch of these new four programs in priority sectors will play a predominant role in supporting the implementation of the Government’s Pentagonal Strategy to achieve its goal of becoming an upper-middle-income country in 2030 and a high-income country in 2050. In this spirit, the Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia reaffirmed its commitment to fostering and strengthening future partnerships with the EU across multifaceted sectors.

Promoted by the EU and its Member States, the four new programmes will support the development in the key sectors of: (1) Agriculture, (2) Garment, Footwear and Travel Goods, (3) Education and Research, and (4) Trade and Private sector for a total of 79 MEUR (approx. 85.6 MUSD). The launch solidifies EU partnership with Cambodia, with the EU and EU Member States being the second largest provider of Official Development Assistance to Cambodia. The programmes full title and financial contributions are:

• EU CAPSAFE - Cambodia Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture and Food systems - 17 MEUR (approx. 18.4 MUSD) + co-financing from Germany of 7.3 MEUR (approx. 7.8 MUSD)
• EU Partnership for Sustainable Energy Practices in Industry (GFT) - 6 MEUR (approx. 6.5 MUSD)
• Transforming Technical Education EU-Cambodia Partnership 2024-2027 - 49 MEUR (approx. 53.1 MUSD)
• Trade and private sector (EU GATE) - 7 MEUR (approx. 7.6 MUSD) + co-financing from Germany of 3 MEUR (approx. 3.3 MUSD)

The European Commissioner and her team, the Deputy Prime Ministers, Senior Ministers, Ministers, Senior Government representatives, Ambassadors of the EU Member States of the Czech Republic, France, Germany, and Sweden, and partners joined the signing ceremony.  

About the EU: The European Union is a unique economic and political union between 27 European countries, known as Member States, or EU countries. Together, they cover much of the European continent. The EU is home to around 447 million people, which is around 6% of the world’s population. Citizens of the EU countries are also EU citizens.

In Cambodia the EU is represented by Ambassador H.E. Igor Driesmans, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the Kingdom of Cambodia which is a full-fledged diplomatic mission. The EU has a long-standing relationship with Cambodia. Through substantial development assistance, support to democratic and good governance processes, and a commitment to open markets, the EU assists Cambodia in its efforts to build a brighter future for its population.

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For further information, please contact Mrs. Phalkun Chan, Press and Information Officer of the EU Delegation, Tel. 023 220 611 or E-mail: Phalkun.Chan@eeas.europa.eu and the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Tel. 023 890 666.