42Received 27.06.2024. Revised 31.07.2024. Accepted 01.08.2024.
Acknowledgements. The article was prepared with the Support of a Grant from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation for major scientific projects in priority areas of scientific and technological development no. 075-15-2024-551 “Global and regional centers of power in the emerging world order”.
Abstract. The article examines the strategy of France and the EU in Central Asia (CA) aimed at strengthening economic (including trade and investment) positions, primarily in the key countries of the region (Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan) against the background of geopolitical turbulence. Based on strategic documents of the European Union, conclusions are drawn about the increasing importance of the Central Asian region for the EU, as well as about the evolution of EU-Central Asia relations towards a more institutionalised dialogue, which, in particular, is demonstrated by the adoption of the ‘Joint Roadmap for Deepening Ties between the EU and Central Asia’ in 2023. Special attention is paid to the structure of trade and investment relations between the Central Asian states and the EU and France, the analysis of which also demonstrates an increasing mutual interest in cooperation. The article emphasizes the use of trade with Central Asia by the EU and France as a tool for diversifying imports of critical raw materials. The article also considers the directions of the investment strategy of European countries, mainly aimed at the development of transport corridors through the territory of Central Asian countries in the region as a whole and the strategy of French companies in Central Asia, especially in the energy sector. A growing interest in investing in the nuclear industry of Kazakhstan, the largest uranium producer in the world, against the backdrop of France’s declining influence in Africa, is highlighted. The authors explain Kazakhstan’s motivation in expanding cooperation in this area, which consists in the interest in obtaining French technologies for nuclear power plants. The activities of companies such as EDF and Orano, as well as TotalEnergies, which is developing renewable energy sources in the country, are cited as examples. France and the EU, by soft power and economic instruments strive to become a counterweight to the influence of Russia and China in the Region.
Keywords: Central Asia, France, EU, Economy, Natural Resources, Critical Raw Materials
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