UAE and EU Launch Negotiations for Strategic Partnership Agreement

Abu Dhabi, The Gulf Observer: The United Arab Emirates and the European Union have officially launched negotiations for a Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA), marking a key milestone in strengthening bilateral relations.

The announcement was made by Dubravka Šuica, EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean, responsible for the EU’s relations with Gulf countries, and Lana Nusseibeh, Minister of State in the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The SPA aims to provide a comprehensive institutional framework for UAE-EU cooperation across a wide range of priority areas. The initiative complements ongoing negotiations on an EU-UAE Free Trade Agreement and aligns with the agenda set by leaders at the 2024 EU-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit in Brussels. It also advances the objectives outlined in the 2022 EU Joint Communication on a Strategic Partnership with the Gulf and the 2018 Cooperation Arrangement between the European External Action Service and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Šuica and Nusseibeh reaffirmed their shared commitment to deepen and expand the UAE-EU strategic partnership in areas such as trade, investment, and humanitarian assistance. They highlighted the potential for both sides to serve as a bridge between Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.

The agreement is expected to strengthen collaboration in promoting regional peace and stability, upholding multilateralism and international law, and exploring new opportunities in connectivity, research and innovation, energy, green and digital transition, and artificial intelligence.

Both parties underscored their dedication to advancing a forward-looking, ambitious partnership that further reinforces UAE-EU ties amid an increasingly complex regional and international landscape, benefiting the peoples of Europe, the United Arab Emirates, and their shared neighbourhood.