President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has proposed a new model of cooperation with the European Union in the mining and metallurgical sector, offering access to Kazakhstan’s rare and rare earth metals in exchange for European investment and technology transfer, at the Kazakhstan–EU Round Table in Brussels.
Tokayev highlighted that Kazakhstan’s subsoil users are already capable of supplying 21 of the 34 minerals on the European Union’s critical raw materials list, while significant untapped reserves of lithium, nickel, vanadium and cobalt remain undeveloped. He said the most effective mechanism for unlocking this resource potential would be offtake-based cooperation — arrangements under which buyers guarantee the purchase of a defined volume of future production — as this model would stimulate the development of rare metal ore processing and the production of higher value-added products.
Kazakhstan also renewed its proposal to establish a Regional Research Centre on Rare Earth Metals in Astana. The centre would provide prospective investors with current information about available deposits across Central Asia and the technologies available for their development.
The round table underscored Kazakhstan’s role as one of the EU’s key energy partners, with Kazakhstani crude oil’s share of the EU market growing to 13% in 2025. The event concluded with the signing of new commercial agreements with a combined value of nearly $1 billion.
