PRESS RELEASE - EU and Central Asia strengthen partnerships for skills and shared prosperity

Turin, 31 October 2025 — The European Union and countries of Central Asia are strengthening their partnership for education and skills to foster sustainable growth, innovation, and shared prosperity. This was the focus of the high-level meeting of DARYA – Dialogue and Action for Young People in Central Asia, held in Turin on 30–31 October 2025.

DARYA, a €10 million EU-funded programme implemented by the European Training Foundation (ETF), supports policy dialogue and cooperation on skills between the EU and Central Asia.

The meeting gathered deputy ministers of education and labour from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, together with EU representatives and social partners, to review progress and shape the next phase of collaboration.

ETF Director Pilvi Torsti said: “This meeting shows what we can achieve together when dialogue and evidence turn into action. Now, at the mid-term of the project, it has already strengthened the links between education and labour markets, building trust, concrete results, and valuable evidence for future-oriented policy action. Our vision, in Central Asia and beyond, is clear: there is no competitiveness without competences.”

Eduards Stiprais, EU Special Representative for Central Asia, emphasised the strategic dimension of the partnership within the EU’s Global Gateway initiative: “The EU’s commitment to deepen cooperation in the field of education is written down as one deliverable in the first ever high-level EU Central Asia summit last April in Samarkand. I would like to emphasize that the implementation of these commitments is primarily guided by the European Union’s strategy known as Global Gateway. Under the Global Gateway initiative, the European Union is strengthening its long-term commitments to Central Asia by promoting development, regional connectivity, and opportunities for people. This initiative is not only about building roads, energy links or digital infrastructure – it is about building bridges between people, ideas, and opportunities. It reflects the EU’s vision of a partnership based on shared prosperity, resilience, and mutual benefit.”

Johannes Baur, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Kazakhstan, added: “This region has historically been a bridge between Europe and Asia, and the EU and Central Asia are busy strengthening our relations. Today, new corridors such as the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor can unlock this potential, but only if supported by a skilled workforce.”

Country perspectives: skills for competitiveness

National delegations presented how DARYA contributes to reforms in education and labour systems in response to demographic and technological change.

In Kazakhstan, the focus is on developing human capital and linking skills with sustainable investment as strategic national priorities.

In Kyrgyzstan, advances in national qualifications and skills validation frameworks are helping to align education and labour market policies and support youth employment.

In Turkmenistan, DARYA serves as a key platform for inclusive youth development and international cooperation, supporting reforms in vocational education and considering the establishment of new Centres of Vocational Excellence.

In Uzbekistan, skills development remains central to national reforms linking training with employment and promoting inclusive access for young people.

Linking investments and skills

Visits to Italian examples of excellence — Apro Formazione, a centre of vocational education and training, and the Ferrero factory in Alba — brought into focus the close connection between investment and skills.

Sessions on the EU’s Global Gateway strategy explored how education and human capital underpin sustainable investment and regional connectivity. Discussions highlighted the growing demand for new skills in sectors such as transport and logistics, where rapid technological change is reshaping workforce needs and accelerating the pace of reskilling.

Participants emphasised that the Global Gateway agenda is about building connections — within countries, across the region, and with the EU — and places skills and human capital at its core. Supported by a €12 billion investment package for Central Asia announced at the EU–Central Asia Summit last April, the initiative aims to strengthen long-term partnerships that combine connectivity with opportunity.

In this context, DARYA contributes by fostering evidence-based cooperation on skills and helping countries align human capital development with emerging economic opportunities, ensuring that growth and investment go hand in hand with social progress.

Next steps

As the project passed its mid-term milestone, the Turin meeting reaffirmed DARYA’s growing role as a key platform for dialogue and cooperation between Europe and Central Asia. Regional skills partnerships and cooperation frameworks will be at the core of the next steps within DARYA in connection with Global Gateway. By connecting education, employment, and investment, DARYA is helping to shape a new generation of skills partnerships — turning shared ambition into shared opportunities for young people and societies at large.

Press contacts

• ETF: Daria Santucci – +39 366 9639638 – mediarelations@etf.europa.eu – www.etf.europa.eu