Joint Press Release on the 24th Meeting of the Mongolia–European Union Joint Committee on Cooperation

Within the framework of the Mongolia-EU Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, the Mongolia-EU Joint Committee on Cooperation held its meeting in Brussels on 29 June 2026. At the meeting, Mongolia and the EU reaffirmed their partnership, grounded in shared values such as democracy, human rights, the rule of law, multilateralism, and the principles of the UN Charter.

The EU reaffirmed its continued support for Mongolia's Third Neighbour Policy and commended Mongolia's steady role and contribution to multilateral cooperation. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to expanding and deepening bilateral relations within the framework of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement.

Mongolia and the EU underscored the importance of maintaining peace and security in Northeast Asia, with the EU expressing appreciation for Mongolia's important role and engagement in this regard.

Mongolia-EU 24th Joint Committee Meeting

Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to tackling desertification, land degradation, and drought. The EU welcomed Mongolia's decision to host the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17) in Ulaanbaatar in 2026 and reaffirmed its intention to work closely with Mongolia to ensure the conference delivers concrete and meaningful outcomes.

The EU reaffirmed its continued support for Mongolia's efforts to diversify its economy and foreign trade policy. A stable, predictable, and reliable business environment benefits all parties engaged in economic relations. The EU welcomed Mongolia's efforts to improve its investment climate and expressed confidence that Mongolia would continue to take bold steps in this direction. Both sides highlighted the importance of further utilizing the EU's Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) – a special scheme supporting sustainable development and good governance, to help diversify Mongolia's economy.

Mongolia and the EU exchanged views on the progress of Mongolia's accession to the European Agreement Concerning the Work of Crews of Vehicles Engaged in International Road Transport (AETR). They welcomed the decision by AETR member states, taken by consensus at the relevant UNECE Working Party meeting on 8 June, supporting Mongolia's accession. Both sides also expressed confidence that further progress on the next steps of the accession process would be made during the meeting of the UNECE Working Party on Road Transport (WP.SC.1) in October 2026.

Mongolia and the EU expressed their intention to advance and conclude negotiations on the draft Geographical Indications agreement in 2026.

Both sides welcomed the strengthening of cooperation in education, training, and research, particularly through Erasmus+ and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), which make important contributions to strengthening people-to-people ties, deepening mutual understanding, and expanding institutional cooperation. Both sides emphasized the importance of continuing to support academic exchanges, partnerships between higher education institutions, and researcher exchanges aimed at developing shared skills, fostering innovation, and advancing sustainable development priorities.

Mongolia and the EU discussed regional and global challenges. Both sides expressed concern over the ongoing war in Ukraine, which continues to cause suffering for its people and negative consequences worldwide. Mongolia and the EU called for an immediate ceasefire and for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure in accordance with international humanitarian law. The EU reaffirmed its support for efforts to achieve a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in Ukraine in line with the UN Charter and principles respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states.

Both sides reaffirmed their commitments under international law, including respect for the political independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of states under the UN Charter, which are essential to upholding the international legal order and the system of multilateral cooperation that safeguard peace and security.

Both sides expressed their intention to continue cooperating on the protection and promotion of human rights. The regular Mongolia-EU Human Rights Dialogue was held on 24 June 2026, during which both sides exchanged views on recent developments related to human rights in their respective countries.

Following the Development Cooperation Working Group meeting held in Ulaanbaatar on 21 April 2026, Mongolia and the EU agreed on the importance of increasing strategic investment in priority sectors. In this context, they discussed cooperation in the renewable energy sector – aimed at strengthening Mongolia's energy independence, as well as in forestry, aligning Mongolia's priorities with the EU's Global Gateway strategy to strike an appropriate balance between environmental protection and the sustainable use of natural resources.

Both sides agreed to hold a meeting of the Trade and Investment Sub-Committee under the Joint Committee in the coming months.

The next meeting of the Mongolia-EU Joint Committee on Cooperation was agreed to take place in Ulaanbaatar in 2027.

The Joint Committee meeting was co-chaired by L. Munkhtushig, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Dominic Porter, Deputy Managing Director for Asia and the Pacific at the European External Action Service.