An EU - Central Asia Ministerial Conference, co-organised by the French Presidency and Germany, was held on 27 and 28 November 2008, on the sidelines of the Justice and Home Affairs Council in Brussels, to discuss the theme "Rule of law - cornerstone of development", in order to give fresh impetus to the implementation of the European Union Strategy for a New Partnership with Central Asia adopted by the European Council on June, 21st 2007.

The Conference underlined the importance of strengthening the Rule of Law as an essential condition for the development of a stable political framework, functioning economic structures and the effective protection of human rights.

The Ministerial Conference launched the European Union’s Rule of Law Initiative for Central Asia. This initiative, coordinated by France and Germany, aims at forging a close partnership between the EU and the Central Asian Republics, with a view to fostering exchanges of experience in the legal and judicial sphere, based on current projects, and to carry out new, practical projects designed to strengthen cooperation between the European Union and countries of Central Asia.

Within the initiative, European Commission and EU Member States programmes will implement projects with regard to reinforcing the cooperation between constitutional courts, modernising the training of young lawyers as well as implementing the legal guarantees for the accused in court.

Ministers expressed the wish to organise regional thematic conferences in Central Asia in 2009, as a follow-up to this ministerial conference, and agreed to meet again in Central Asia in 2010 to discuss the progress, review their cooperation activities, and consider practical steps to continue the European Union’s Rule of Law Initiative for Central Asia.