A Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) between the EU and the Republic of Uzbekistan has been in place since 1999. It forms the basis for a broad relationship, including political dialogue, cooperation on matters related to good governance, justice and home affairs, democracy and human rights, trade, business and investment relations, economic and financial cooperation as well as technical assistance. 

Relations are steered formally by annual Cooperation Councils (ministerial level), Cooperation Committees (senior officials' level) and three Sub-Committees on: 

• Justice, Home Affairs, Human Rights and Related Issues.
• Development Cooperation.
• Economic, Trade and Investment Relations. 

The Parliaments of both parties also hold regular meetings. 

Since late 2018, the EU and Uzbekistan have been negotiating an Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA). It reflects a shared interest in strengthening relations with and supporting ongoing reforms in Uzbekistan, including in the area of trade. The 2019 EU Strategy on Central Asia provides the overall regional framework for this engagement, building on the previous Strategy from 2007. 

The EU provides financial assistance to Uzbekistan every year, primarily aimed at promoting economic development. Since 2017, the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development have re-engaged with Uzbekistan, and the number and volume of ongoing projects have increased significantly. 

Over the period 2014-2020, the EU’s financial aid to Uzbekistan came to €168 million, a 124% increase over the 2007-2013 period. Under the Multi-Annual Indicative Programme, EU development assistance for Uzbekistan between 2014 and 2020 has concentrated on rural development. This support has included projects on the sustainable management of water resources and irrigation, horticulture, livestock, vocational training, and local administrative reform. 

Following the priorities of the Commission, the EU's proposed priority areas and sectors for 2021-2027 include Effective governance and digital transformation; Inclusive, digital and green growth; Development of a smart eco-friendly agri-food sector. 

The EU has accepted Uzbekistan as the 9th beneficiary country of the special incentive arrangement for sustainable development and good governance (GSP+) under the unilateral Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP). From 10 April 2021, the EU started applying preferential tariffs for products imported from Uzbekistan under this arrangement. 

The removal of tariffs on two-thirds of the product lines covered by GSP will create opportunities for export growth and attract further investment in the country. It will further contribute to Uzbekistan’s position as a reliable, forward-looking economic partner. GSP+ also gives the EU leverage and the obligation to continuously monitor the effective implementation of the 27 GSP+ relevant conventions. 

Under the existing Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA), the EU and Uzbekistan grant each other most-favored-nation treatment concerning: 

• Customs duties and charges applied to imports and exports.
• Direct and indirect taxes applied to imported goods.
• Rules relating to the sale, purchase, transport, distribution and use of goods on the domestic market. 

The EU is also providing technical assistance for Uzbekistan's application to accede to the World Trade Organisation.

Regional projects for Central Asia support border management reform, the fight against drug trafficking, energy efficiency and renewable and regional cooperation in areas such as the rule of law, environment and education. The Investment Facility for Central Asia (IFCA) was launched in 2010 to combine EU development assistance with loans from European and international financial institutions for the five countries in Central Asia. 

The Central Asia region is particularly prone to natural hazards, including earthquakes, floods and landslides. Improving the capacity of national institutions and local communities to prepare for and respond to disasters is a priority for EU humanitarian action in the region. Under its current Disaster Preparedness Programme, the Commission is funding community-based initiatives to increase the resilience of the population to recurrent disasters. From 1994 to 2015 the EU humanitarian funding to Central Asia has been in excess of €222 million. 

Uzbekistan can also benefit from the EU's various thematic cooperation programmes covering issues such as human and social development (Investing in people), energy, the environment, migration and asylum, stability and peace, and democracy and human rights.

Every year the EU and Uzbekistan hold a Human Rights Dialogue back to back with a meeting of the PCA’s Justice and Home Affairs Subcommittee. At the Human Rights Dialogue, a broad range of human rights-related issues are discussed: the penitentiary system, prevention of torture and ill-treatment, labor rights, civil society, freedom of association and peaceful assembly women's rights, children's right and non-discrimination, freedom of expression and freedom of religion or belief. 

The Justice and Home Affairs Subcommittee is an opportunity to discuss rule of law, good governance and reform of the judiciary, judicial cooperation, the fight against money laundering and corruption, migration, asylum and border management, counterterrorism and prevention of violent extremism. 

The EPCA currently being negotiated will have an even stronger emphasis on democracy, rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms to support Uzbekistan in its reform and modernization processes. 

Since 2013, the Delegation of the European Union in Uzbekistan together with the National Agency «Uzbekkino» has been organizing the «European Film Festival» in Tashkent on a yearly basis. It has already become one of the most visible and large-scale cultural projects in Uzbekistan. It annually welcomes around five thousand viewers in the capital. 

Since 2016 the festival has expanded its geography and started being held in other cities of Uzbekistan. In 2017 the festival, besides Tashkent, was organized in Navoi and Nukus, in 2018 in Shakhrisabz and Fergana, in 2019 in Urgench, Nukus and Djizak. Within the Festival Latvian documentary filmmaker Daynis Clava, visited the country to conduct several workshops for young cinema producers, in 2020 the first International EU-FOCUS Cinema Laboratory on Documentary filmmaking was launched with the financial support of the European Commission. 

EU Delegation in Uzbekistan is coordinating the EUNIC network in the country and supports innovative solutions in the area of culture.