The 14th meeting of the Joint Commission of the European Union (EU) and Nepal concluded on Wednesday in Brussels.

A press statement issued following the meeting stated that EU and Nepal reiterated their support for a rules-based international order with the United Nations at its core, as well as their commitment to safeguarding the principles of the UN Charter.

The event was the first Joint Commission meeting under the new leadership in Nepal, following the federal and provincial elections on 20 November 2022.

As per the statement, both EU and Nepal expressed determination to continue working on strengthening bilateral ties further and underlined the importance of further strengthening the representation of women and disadvantaged groups.

“The EU welcomed Nepal’s commitment, as expressed in the Government’s Policy Priorities and Minimum Programme of 9 January, 2023, to prioritise the tabling in the Parliament of those key draft pieces of legislation that would promote further the implementation of the Constitution and the completion of the remaining tasks of the peace process, namely transitional justice,” the statement reads.

The two sides also discussed the need to continue the efforts of controlling corruption and promoting good governance.

Likewise, the EU and Nepal, during the meeting, confirmed their intention to constructively engage in the Human Rights Council on matters of common interest.

The EU also invited Nepal to give positive consideration to the pending requests for visits of UN Special Rapporteurs.

The statement said that the EU praised Nepal’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, including its vaccination campaign and economic stimulus.

“Nepal appreciated the swift cooperation of medicines, medical equipment and vaccines from the EU Member States during the difficult time of the Covid-19 pandemic,” reads the statement.

During the meeting, both parties discussed bilateral trade relations in light of Nepal’s future graduation from the Least Developed Country (LDC) status in 2026.

“Nepal seeks to diversify its exports to the EU, to make full use of the benefits offered by the “Everything But Arms” trading regime, while preparing to apply for the EU Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) arrangement,” the statement reads, “The EU offered close cooperation during the transition period following Nepal’s graduation from Least Developed Country status, and asked Nepal to share its graduation strategy, also stressing the importance of an open and competitive business environment.”

According to the statement, the European Union and Nepal highlighted strong investment potential, notably in the area of renewable energies.

“Such investments are expected to support shared priority objectives in areas such as green and sustainable economic development and poverty reduction,” reads the statement.

During the meet, the European Union and Nepal reaffirmed that air safety was among the key priority areas of their bilateral relations.

“They both [EU and Nepal] agreed that the EU on-site assessment planned for mid-February would be postponed to a later date, to allow the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal to deal with the aftermath of the recent airline crash,” the statement reads.

In the field of people-to-people contacts, the EU and Nepal welcomed the outstanding participation of Nepali Erasmus Mundus scholarship winners in 2022 stressing on further enhancing cultural diplomacy ties, including through the exchange of artists.

The meeting also selected five new capacity-building projects with Nepali universities in 2022 focusing on new programmes on e-health, disaster resilience and cybersecurity.

As per the statement, the EU praised Nepal’s commitment to reach full net zero emissions by 2045 and encouraged maintaining this trajectory.

Both parties highlighted the importance of transparency and accountability of climate finance commitments, and the need to ensure that green transition is sustainable and socially inclusive, according to the statement.

Similarly, the EU and Nepal also discussed regional processes and existing platforms to foster economic integration with the EU highlighting the Global Gateway as an instrument to strengthen regional inter-connectedness, notably in energy and digital areas.

The next Joint Commission meeting of the European Union and Nepal will take place in Kathmandu in 2024.