Bhutan and the European Union on Tuesday discussed a wide array of subjects, including the challenges posed by COVID-19, the accessibility to vaccines, and climate change. The European Union (EU) and the Royal Government of Bhutan (RGoB) discussed all these issues at the ninth formal consultations via video conference. 

This was the first annual consultation since it was agreed last year to increase the frequency of the previously biennial consultations in view of the positive momentum in EU-Bhutan bilateral relations.

In the meet, Bhutan thanked the EU for its rapid mobilisation of €12 million (over 1.07 billion Bhutanese Ngultrum) to help the country handle challenges posed by the COVID-19 crisis: to address vulnerabilities, stimulate the economy and labour demand, and support local service delivery, according to a joint press release issued after the consultation.

Bhutan is the only country in South Asia that has not reported any death due to COVID. It has so far recorded over 400 COVID positive cases.

The EU and Bhutan agreed that the current COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of an effective multilateral system and underlined that the World Health Organisation (WHO) is central to collective efforts to tackle the pandemic.

“The EU stressed that it is fully committed to making the COVID-19 vaccine accessible to low and middle-income countries in a fair and equitable manner,” the release said.

The European Union is the largest donor to the COVAX Facility with a financial contribution of €870 million to purchase vaccines for the 92 low and middle-income countries (COVAX Advance Market Commitment).

Bhutan is among the countries that are eligible for support from the COVAX instrument.

In the meet, the EU and Bhutan reconfirmed their Joint Declaration on Cooperation on Climate Policies signed in the margins of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 21st Conference of the Parties in Paris (COP21), recognising their important role in combating climate change as one of the greatest threats against humanity.

The EU congratulated the Bhutan government for organising, in their capacity as chair of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the “Thimphu Ambition Summit: Momentum for a 1.5°C World'' on December 9, 2020.

The EU stressed its recent actions to enhance its climate ambition, including climate neutrality by 2050 and the increased 2030 targets of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 percent compared to 1990.

The EU further underlined the necessity of ensuring a green recovery from COVID-19, linking ambitious climate action to progress under the Sustainable Development Goals.

In this regard, Bhutan also confirmed its commitment to remain carbon-neutral, including taking ambitious action to ensure a sustainable, low-carbon and climate-resilient development.

During the consultations, the various steps Bhutan has taken to ensure the human rights of its people were also discussed. Bhutanese Parliament has recently amended the penal code so that it no longer criminalises homosexuality.

“They also discussed good governance and democratic consolidation, poverty reduction, and the importance of enhancing cooperation with civil society organisations,” the release said.

The EU and Bhutan welcomed the passage by the National Assembly and National Council of the framework agreement between the Royal Government of Bhutan (RGoB) and the European Investment Bank (EIB).

Bhutan had processed the agreement as an urgent bill, which enabled it to be passed in the same session of Parliament. The agreement will enable the government of Bhutan to access concessional financing from the EIB.

In the consultation, priorities for the EU- Bhutan partnership for 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework was also discussed.

Bhutan proposed three thematic areas of climate change, good governance, and socio-economic development and recovery as the priority areas for a reinforced future EU engagement.

The EU reaffirmed that its assistance to Bhutan would continue during, and beyond, the impending graduation in 2023 from the Least Developed Countries (LDC) category.

The EU encouraged the Bhutan government to ratify the remaining human rights conventions in order to qualify in the future for greater preferential access to EU markets under the Generalised Scheme of Preferences + (GSP+) scheme.

The EU delegation was led by Paola Pampaloni, Deputy Managing Director for Asia and Pacific, European External Action Service, while the Bhutanese delegation was led by Sonam Tobgay, Director, Department of Bilateral Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.