The second round of Talks on the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (TPCA) to be established between Mongolia and the European Union has run successfully in Brussels, Belgium.

The talks were co-chaired by B. Bolor, a Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia; Franz Jessen, a head of the Unit of Mongolia at the European Commission (EC); and by Parenti, a Deputy Head of the Trade Relations with the Far East unit at European Commission.

During the negotiations, Mongolia said it intends to introduce standards, criteria, and norms of the European Union (EU) to Mongolia, and put forward its official proposal to reflect in the agreement a special clause on developing cooperation by introducing these standards.

The European Commission (EC) has also approved a middle-term program to be realized in 2011-2013 and for which a financing of EUR 15 million will be granted. The program will aim at developing the country’s rural communities’ economies and improving the skills and knowledge of its public servants in order to introduce EU’s standards and norms in Mongolia.

The two sides also have agreed to co-organize the next talks in May this year in Ulaanbaatar and to make efforts to ink the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement within July of 2010.