Points on EU-GCC Relations Webinar Series Nov,29

EU-GCC Webinar Series

Key Points

EU-GCC Webinar Series November 29, 2022 Dr. Abdualziz Sager Chairman of the Gulf Research Center Panel Session: Taking Stock and Looking Forward: Outlines of the GCCEU Strategic Partnership • With the EU, the GCC maintains the longest institutional relations outside of any multilateral organization. This is grounded in the EU-GCC Cooperation Agreement of 1989.

• Over time, numerous institutional channels have developed both at the bilateral as well as the multilateral level. In addition to annual ministerial meetings, there are numerous joint committees that meet regularly. H.E. Dr Nayef Al-Hajraf, Secretary General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, last visited Brussels in January 2022 while EU Vice-President and the High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Josep Borrell is a regular visitor to the GCC states, the last visit coming during the 2022 Ban Yas Forum. EU Council President Charles Michel visited Qatar and Saudi Arabia in September 2022 and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke at the 2022 Manama Dialogue in Bahrain in November. The increased visibility of EU officials in the Gulf is being noticed.

• While contacts are numerous, EU-GCC relations have still not fulfilled their potential. The inability to come to a Free Trade Agreement is just the most obvious example.

• This is why the Joint Communication of the European Commission from May 2022 on “A Strategic Partnership with the Gulf” is an important step seeking to place EU-GCC ties on a higher and more strategic level. The document is very clear that the EU stands to gain from a stronger partnership with the GCC and its member states.

• The document has received a positive response from the GCC states and the GCC region as a whole is ready to see many of the contents of the partnership document turned into practice. The GCC countries continue

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EU-GCC Webinar Series

to look to Europe for building mutually beneficial relations as this serves the interests of both sides.

• With the world experiencing numerous transitions as exemplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, shifting ties at the level of the global order, and the outcome of the crisis in Ukraine, it is more important than ever that the EU and the GCC states strengthen their ties to one another. The strategic partnership document takes an important step towards recognizing the GCC states as partners for Europe. This now, however, needs to be followed up by concrete actions that turn the document into a practical action plan.

• The GCC states are ready to work with Europe when it comes to resolving the perennial security issues in the region, to assist into bringing about greater security and stability in the wider Middle East, to work out a common agenda when it comes to climate change, and to strengthen further economic and investment ties that are to the benefit of both societies. The acknowledgment of the EU that it needs to take on a greater security role in the region is a welcome recognition. The recent Iranian actions including Iran’s supply of drone technology to Russia in their war in Ukraine is just the latest example that stronger EU-GCC coordination via-a-vis Iran, for example, are essential for stability and security in the wider region.

• Up to this stage, the Gulf region has always felt that it has not been listened to when it comes to their security concerns. We can only hope that this is now no longer the case and that regular exchanges of views will take place.

• Yet, governments cannot do everything by themselves and to really elevate EU-GCC ties requires a determined efforts across all sectors of society. In addition, as mentioned, the Strategic Partnership document has to be filled with concrete proposals and recommendations that will give the relations wide-ranging substance.

• In order to assist in this process, the Gulf Research Center decided to launch this webinar series. The main objective is to focus more specifically on the many different components of the Strategic Partnership document and to allow for an open exchange between the EU and the GCC sides on the next steps to be taken as we move forward.

Our first session will take a broader view looking at the motivations behind the document and to see where current priorities lie. Subsequent session will then focus on more specific issues such as promoting investment and trade, initiatives for combatting and mitigating climate

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EU-GCC Webinar Series

change, ensuring energy security, strengthening health resilience, cooperation on humanitarian and development needs, regional security, digitalization, mobility, educational exchanges and programs as well as a stronger institutional relationship, just to name some of the key items.

The sessions will allow one to explore the issues in detail with the aim to come up with suggestions on how to best move forward.

• The Gulf Research Center has from the very beginning been a strong proponent of better EU-GCC ties. We firmly believe in the further development and the strengthening of mutual ties. As such we have a dedicated program to EU-GCC ties and we have regularly participated in many of the existing EU-GCC forums including running two projects on public diplomacy, being a part of the EU-GCC Clean Energy Network and the INCO-NET on Scientific and Technical Cooperation. We therefore remain committed to doing our part such as with this webinar series. We very much look forward to the discussion to follow and seek to involve as many people as possible in our discussions.

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