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2019 is the 30^th anniversary of relations between Mongolia and the European Union. May 9 was also “Europe Day”, a day remembered for the beginning of what is now known as the European Union. In recognition of these anniversaries Mongolian news agency Montsame interviewed H.E. Mr. Traian Laurentiu Hristea, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the European Union to Mongolia, discussing his thoughts on cooperation between Mongolia and the European Union. The full interview may be found here.

The interview reviews the three-decade history of Mongolia-EU relations. The EU has been a major partner in supporting Mongolia’s democratic government in the years after the transition from a Communist system. The Ambassador refers to the EU as a “Third Neighbor” of Mongolia and calls for expanded cooperation.

According to the Ambassador, the EU hopes to increase Mongolia’s stability and to help in diversifying the Mongolian economy away from over-reliance on mining industry, following a rules-based market economy system similar to Europe.

Other key points in the EU approach to Mongolia include increasing access to and effectiveness of vocational training to provide better employment opportunities for Mongolian workers, and improve value chains and access to international markets.

The EU also helps to build on successful human and labor rights policies in Mongolia, including growth and empowerment of civil society. The EU also supports Mongolia in efforts to reduce pollution and promoting renewable energy sources and environmental conservation projects.

Lastly, the EU prioritizes a solution for reform of public finance management, and expanding access to financing for private small and medium enterprises.

The EU hopes to expand access to Europe for the Mongolian market. One way they hope to do this is via Europe’s “Generalised Scheme of Preferences” which is a European Union program to reduce taxes of developing country goods imported into the EU. It is hoped that with such support, many Mongolian made products might find increase market demand in Europe.

Also in the area of trade, the EU has implemented “Trade Related Assistance for Mongolia”, a program which identifies products which have high prospects for successful import into the EU market. Products the program has identified already include organic cosmetics, yak and camel wool, seabuckthorn oil, and leather products. However, widespread import of these products to Europe will require improvement on the Mongolian side in the areas of standards, product certification, and rules of origin.

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