On Tuesday 31 October, the European Commission stated that the partnership and cooperation agreement between the EU and Mongolia enters into force on 1 November.
The agreement was signed on 30 April 2013 (see EUROPE 10838) and replaces the trade and economic agreement concluded between the European Economic Community and Mongolia in 1993.
According to a press release from the European Commission, the new agreement will extend cooperation to a wide range of areas such as sustainable development, primary materials, climate change, justice and security, human rights, and science and technology, as well as good governance, and it will facilitate trade and investment.
Negotiations for the partnership and cooperation agreement began in 2010. The European Parliament gave its approval in February 2017 (see EUROPE 11736) and the ratification process came to an end on 9 October 2017.
The agreement's entry into force coincides with the opening, in the next few days, of the EU delegation in Mongolia (in Ulan-Bator). Up until now the EU has only had a liaison office there. The new delegation will work on implementing the agreement. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)