Prime Minister Hun Manet (right) meets with European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh on March 12. STPM
Prime Minister Hun Manet requested that the EU provide additional support to Cambodia in various sectors, particularly socio-economic development, education, health and human resource training, stating that these priority areas would facilitate the Kingdom’s transition out of its Least Developed Countries (LDC) status.
Manet made the remarks during talks with European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen on March 12 at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh, as reported on the premier’s official social media.
According to the post, the prime minister expressed gratitude to the EU for supporting the country’s developmental process and briefed the EU side on the first phase of the government’s Pentagonal Strategy, highlighting key measures and priority areas to promote education and health.
He briefed Urpilainen on his government’s plans to offer training to 1.5 million young people from poor and vulnerable households, with no tuition fees charged and trainees even receiving a monthly allowance to support their studies, as announced in November last year.
He urged the EU to continue assisting Cambodia in achieving its goal of graduating out of the LDC category.
During the meeting, Urpilainen expressed confidence in Cambodia’s growth across all sectors and projected its attainment of upper-middle-income country status by 2030.
She highlighted the EU’s commitment to strengthening and expanding cooperation in key sectors such as trade, investment, industry, education, vocational training and health, given the growing relations and cooperation between the EU and Cambodia.
Urpilainen reiterated her commitment to fostering cooperation with the 7th-mandate government during her tenure.
Kin Phea, director of the International Relations Institute at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, regarded the rapprochement between Cambodia and the EU as positive, noting that the relationship appears to have progressed favourably as the new government engages in diplomacy beneficial to both sides.
He emphasised the country’s need for EU support, particularly regarding the Everything But Arms (EBA) framework.
He said the EU’s decision to withdraw 20 per cent of the EBA mechanism, citing violations of human rights and declining democracy in Cambodia, necessitates reinstating this lost portion, crucial for foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Kingdom.
“The EU is a regional organisation with the potential to assist Cambodia in developing human resources, health, irrigation and water resources and physical infrastructure. The EU should continue providing Cambodia with aid in the form of concessional loans or grants to aid its transition out of LDC as scheduled,” he added.
During the visit, four agreements were signed: the Technical Education EU-Cambodia Partnership for 2024-2027; EU Global Access, Trade Expertise (EU GATE); the EU Partnership for Sustainable Energy Practices in Industry; and the Cambodia Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems (EU CAPSAFE).
