Kathmandu, Nov 29: The 16th meeting of the EU–Nepal Joint Commission concluded in Brussels, Belgium, on Friday.
According to the Nepali Embassy in Brussels, the meeting reviewed key areas of cooperation, including development assistance, trade, climate change, regional connectivity, digital and physical infrastructure, and multilateral collaboration.
Both sides noted that Nepal–EU relations have progressed positively, underscoring the breadth of their development partnership and strong people-to-people ties. The EU also commended the performance of the interim government led by Prime Minister Sushila Karki, particularly its focus on fiscal discipline, good governance, accountability and enhanced public service delivery.
Highlighting Nepal’s progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Nepali delegation emphasized the importance of Nepal–EU collaboration in addressing climate change impacts, strengthening disaster risk reduction, and promoting investment. Nepal also reiterated its commitment to concluding the transitional justice process in a lawful and timely manner.
Welcoming Nepal’s transitional strategy for graduation from Least Developed Country (LDC) status, the EU pledged to continue its support through its ongoing multi-year assistance programme. The meeting also reviewed progress in development projects across various sectors.
Reaffirming that aviation safety reform remains a top priority, Nepal expressed its commitment to addressing the issues raised during the EU’s assessment mission in September 2023. Nepal once again requested the EU to remove Nepali airlines from the EU Air Safety List.
The 17th meeting of the Joint Commission will be held in Kathmandu next year on a mutually agreed date. The meeting was co-chaired by Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai and Paola Pampaloni, the EU’s Acting Managing Director for the Department of Asia-Pacific. #nepal #eu
