ABOUT MONGOLIA-EU RELATIONS

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ The European Union (EU) and its members have been supporting Mongolia’s democracy since the diplomatic relations were established on August 1 of 1989, and Mongolia considers the EU as its one of the Third Neighbors. The Ambassador of Mongolia to the EU presented diplomatic credentials in 1990, whereas the head of the EU’s Permanent Office in Beijing was appointed the EU Ambassador to Mongolia in 1991, commencing the bilateral cooperation. As of today, the EU Permanent Representative Office in Beijing represents itself to Mongolia, the Mongolian Embassy works in Brussels. In 2006, the EU Cooperation Office opened in Ulaanbaatar. Mongolia and the EU approved an agreement on trade cooperation in 1993, therefore Mongolia has become a country to receive credit from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Then the EBRD opened its Permanent Representative Office in Mongolia in 2006. In 2010, Mongolia and the EU initialed an Agreement on Partnership Cooperation and signed it April of 2013. This agreement provides the legal framework for expanding EU-Mongolia relations and covers such issues as political dialogue, trade, development assistance, cooperation in the field of agriculture and rural development, energy, climate change, research and innovation, education and culture. In November 2013, the EU President Jose M. Barroso visited Mongolia. It was the first time ever a President of the European Commission has visited the country and was a further milestone in this blossoming relationship. In accordance with the 1993 Agreement on Trade Cooperation, Mongolia has been given a right to export 7,200 kinds of products to the EU’s 27 countries. However, the trade turnover between Mongolia and the EU is still considerably lower than the trades made with other countries according to statistics. For example, Mongolia exported to EU countries products of EUR 71 million, and imported from them products of EUR 510 million by end of 2013. The sides hold annual meeting of the Ambassadors and Non-Resident Ambassador of EU countries to Mongolia since 2009. As of present, Mongolia has established contracts on investment with 17 countries out of 28 members of the EU.