On17July 2019 Mr. Eddie Maier Deputy Head of Unit B/5 Stability, Security, Development and Nuclear Safety, Head of Sector CBRN, EC DEVCO, represented the EU at the 68th Governing Board Meeting of the International Science and Technology Center (ISTC) that took place in Nur Sultan, Kazakhstan. On the invitation by Ambassador Sven-Olav Carlsson, Head of the EU Delegation, he debriefed the EU Heads of missions on the EU CBRN(E) Risk Mitigation Centres of Excellence Initiative, and, in particular on the achievements of the Regional Secretariat for Central Asia, based in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Several regional projects, such as the ones on dual use export control, and the one on biosecurity, are successfully implemented by ISTC. Mr. Maier also debriefed the EU Ambassadors on the ongoing transition of ISTC as a unique intergovernmental organization capable to promote international scientific partnership, strengthen global and regional security, and foster economic growth in the field of environment, energy, health, nuclear, chemical and biological safety and security. Many of these areas fall also into the focus of attention of the recently updated EU – Central Asia Strategy.

On behalf of the EU Delegation Mr. Johannes Stenbaek-Madsen, Head of Operation section, attended the sessions of the ISTC GB68 in Nur-Sultan.