UAE Minister of State Lana Nusseibeh hailed relations with the EU on Saturday, saying ties were entering a new era through projects including data centres and reconstruction in Ukraine.
The Emirati minister was speaking on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, which has been heavily dominated by a US-EU debate over building a new world order and forging new alliances.
“As we look to 2026, we see the UAE relationship entering really a new era,” said Ms Nusseibeh.
“The EU's position on forging new partnerships, on not taking a one-size-fits-all approach to those partnerships is really bearing fruit for the EU,” she added.
The UAE and the EU began negotiations late last year on a Strategic Partnership Agreement to deepen ties between the Arab world’s second-largest economy and the European bloc.
Under the agreement, they aim to deepen co-operation in areas including energy, green and digital transitions, and artificial intelligence. Research and innovation, connectivity, security, humanitarian co-ordination, education and people-to-people exchanges will also be part of the co-operation agenda.
This followed negotiations on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (Cepa) between the Emirates and the EU.
“If you look at the data … in terms of launching new projects, creating jobs and driving innovation across the EU, I think UAE, and UAE companies and investors, have been at the forefront of that,” said the minister.
Ms Nusseibeh cited data centres in France and solar and wind projects in Spain and the Balkans. Ms Nusseibeh also mentioned “a number of conversations we're having with our Ukrainian partners and friends about reconstruction projects and efforts to rebuild Ukraine post the end of this war”.
“An ambitious new free-trade agreement with the EU would create new avenues for co-operation between the UAE and the EU, increase trade and investment flows, and strengthen the partnership on both sides,” she added.
