Nepal-EU Joint Commission meeting concludes in Brussels

November 29, Kathmandu: The 16th Nepal-EU Joint Commission meeting was held in Brussels, Belgium, on Friday.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed development cooperation, trade, climate change, regional connectivity, and multilateral issues. Both expressed satisfaction with the positive growth in Nepal-EU relations, especially in development partnership and people-to-people contacts.

The EU praised the interim government led by Prime Minister Sushila Karki for its focus on fiscal discipline, good governance, accountability, and better public services.

Nepal highlighted its progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and stressed the importance of EU support in tackling climate change, disaster risk reduction, and attracting investment. Nepal also reaffirmed its commitment to complete the transitional justice process soon.

The EU welcomed Nepal’s smooth graduation plan from Least Developed Country (LDC) status and promised continued support through its ongoing multi-year programmes.

Progress on various EU-funded projects was reviewed. Nepal said aviation safety reform is a top priority, committed to addressing concerns raised in the EU’s September 2023 visit, and once again requested the removal of Nepali airlines from the EU Air Safety List.

The next (17th) Joint Commission meeting will be held in Kathmandu next year on a mutually agreed date.

The meeting was co-chaired by Nepal’s Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai and the EU’s Acting Managing Director for Asia-Pacific, Paola Pampaloni.