Today's Edition
MAYS IBRAHIM (ABU DHABI)
The UAE and the European Union on Thursday officially launched negotiations for a Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) aimed at expanding cooperation across key areas including technology, energy, innovation, connectivity and security.
The announcement was made during a press conference at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs by Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, Minister of State and Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs to the EU, and Dubravka Šuica, EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean.
“[The launch] reflects our shared conviction that cooperation between the UAE and the EU is essential to advancing global stability, prosperity, and opportunity within our regions and beyond,” Nusseibeh said.
This year marks a significant turning point for cooperation between both regions, according to the minister.
The SPA will run in parallel with the ongoing Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) negotiations, which Nusseibeh said are “moving quickly”, with the fourth round taking place in the UAE this week and the next round scheduled for Brussels early next year.
“We in the UAE have long seen the vast untapped potential in the relationship between the EU and the Gulf region, and we welcome the new dynamism with which Brussels is now seizing on this momentum, as evidenced in the step change in the level of engagement we have seen in the recent period and the positive outreach in so many future-looking domains,” she added.
Over the past three years, the UAE has concluded 31 free-trade agreements that have already delivered significant benefits for trade and investment.
“With the EU, the scope for impact is even greater,” the minister noted.
“We are already the EU's largest export destination and investment partner in the Middle East and North Africa. The EU is, in turn, the UAE's leading investment partner and second-largest trading partner globally.”
Nusseibeh added the SPA will create a structured platform for cooperation in digital transformation, artificial intelligence, advanced connectivity, the energy transition and other next-generation sectors.
“The UAE [is] very much focused on future-oriented technologies and investments,” she said in response to a question by Aletihad.
The agreement’s scope will also extend to areas including security, humanitarian coordination, education, and people-to-people exchanges.
Beyond economic ties, Nusseibeh highlighted the UAE’s $550 million pledge to the UN Global Humanitarian Overview, underscoring the country’s commitment to collaborations that promote prosperity, dignity and hope for the world’s most vulnerable communities.
Meanwhile, Commissioner Šuica said the launch of SPA negotiations builds on the UAE and EU’s longstanding cooperation and aligns with the 2024 EU–GCC Summit agenda and the EU’s 2022 Gulf Strategy.
“The UAE is a strategic partner for the European Union, having a prominent role as a major trade and investment partner, and it is also a vital hub connecting Europe with the wider Middle East and Asia,” she said.
The SPA, Šuica explained, will serve as a legally binding framework to deepen cooperation in research and innovation, energy, climate and digital transition, security, humanitarian coordination, education, and people-to-people exchanges.
Responding to Aletihad’s question on the SPA priorities, Šuica said both sides will adopt a tailor-made approach, assessing opportunities sector by sector.
“We have common priorities. I don’t see major differences between us…and Europe is excellent in making compromises,” she noted.
The EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean added that the agreement will complement the ongoing free-trade negotiations launched in May.
“Our goal is clear – to deepen our relations with key partners and to promote stability and prosperity in our shared neighbourhood and beyond,” she said.
“At a time of significant regional and global challenges, our determination to reinforce and future-proof our partnership is stronger than ever.”
