Today's Edition
BATOOL GHAITH (ABU DHABI)
More than five decades after the UAE and Germany established diplomatic relations, ties between the two countries have developed from traditional political and commercial links into a broad strategic partnership spanning trade and investment, energy security, climate action, technology and regional diplomacy.
President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, during a state visit to the Federal Republic of Germany beginning on Wednesday, September 9, is due to meet German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
According to the German Federal Government, talks are expected to focus on expanding the strategic partnership, deepening economic relations and the two countries’ joint engagement for peace and stability in the Middle East.
The visit comes seven months after Chancellor Merz visited Abu Dhabi and met with His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed during his first official tour of the Gulf, highlighting a relationship that has been built through regular high-level exchanges and steadily expanding areas of cooperation.
From Diplomatic Relations to Strategic Partnership
The UAE and the Federal Republic of Germany established diplomatic relations on May 17, 1972, only months after the formation of the UAE.
Germany’s Federal Foreign Office describes relations between the countries as intensive, with political, commercial, energy and cultural cooperation forming major pillars of the relationship.
A defining milestone came in April 2004, when the two countries established a Strategic Partnership. The relationship was subsequently strengthened through regular political consultations, including an agreement in 2009 for the two foreign ministries to conduct regular consultations.
By 2019, on the 15th anniversary of the Strategic Partnership, the two sides agreed to work towards a more comprehensive partnership.
A joint statement issued during His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed’s visit to Berlin that year identified political cooperation, economic affairs, energy, humanitarian assistance, culture, education and environment and climate change as areas in which cooperation would be expanded.
Trade Becomes a Major Pillar
Germany’s Federal Foreign Office says the UAE remained Germany’s most important economic partner in the region in 2025, with bilateral trade exceeding 13.56 billion euros in 2025, as German imports from the UAE increased by 50% during the same year.
Around 2,000 German companies now have operations in the UAE, many using the country as a base for activities extending across the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
The German-Emirati Joint Council for Industry and Commerce, established in 2009, headquartered in Dubai with an office in Abu Dhabi, has also become an important institutional link supporting business and investment between the two markets.
Cooperation is increasingly extending beyond conventional trade. In November 2025, UAE and German officials discussed opportunities in the new economy, technology, artificial intelligence, tourism, entrepreneurship, food security, agriculture, sustainable transport and the circular economy.
Energy Partnership Expands into Climate Cooperation
Energy has become one of the most significant areas of UAE-German collaboration. The two countries established an Energy Partnership in 2017, initially focused heavily on renewable energy and technologies supporting a lower-carbon energy system.
The bilateral Energy Partnership was expanded in November 2021 into an Energy and Climate Partnership, broadening cooperation around renewable energy, decarbonisation and climate policy.
The relationship gained further strategic importance during the global energy disruption of 2022. During German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s visit to Abu Dhabi in September that year, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and Scholz witnessed the signing of the Energy Security and Industry Accelerator agreement, known as ESIA.
The framework was designed to accelerate joint projects in energy security, decarbonisation and climate action, with a particular focus on renewable energy, hydrogen, liquefied natural gas and industry.
ADNOC also reached agreements with German companies for demonstration cargoes of low-carbon ammonia and completed the UAE’s first direct diesel delivery to Germany in September 2022.
UAE Renewable Investment Reaches Germany
Masdar, a global clean energy leader, entered the German offshore wind market through a partnership with Iberdrola in the 476-megawatt Baltic Eagle offshore wind farm, located in the Baltic Sea near Rügen Island, marking Masdar’s first investment in Germany. The wind farm reached full energisation in 2025.
Humanitarian and Regional Cooperation
The relationship has also extended into humanitarian and international affairs. The comprehensive partnership framework agreed in 2019 specifically identified humanitarian assistance as an area for further bilateral cooperation.
More recently, cooperation was visible during regional instability in 2026. Germany’s Federal Foreign Office said the UAE proved a reliable partner in facilitating the departure of more than 30,000 German tourists following the outbreak of hostilities in the region.
Political coordination also increasingly encompasses regional security. During Chancellor Merz’s February 2026 visit, talks with His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed covered developments involving Iran, Sudan and Yemen, as well as discussions hosted in Abu Dhabi involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States.
Education and Cultural Links
Germany’s Goethe-Institut has operated a regional office in Abu Dhabi since 2006 and a language centre in Dubai since 2007.
There are officially recognised German schools in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah, while German and Emirati universities and academic institutions are involved in around 20 cooperation projects, according to Germany’s Federal Foreign Office.
Germany was also Guest of Honour at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair in 2021, reflecting expanding cultural links between the two countries.
