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2d ago

EU and UAE Open Strategic Partnership Talks as Free‑Trade Negotiations Accelerate

Brussels frames the pact as a pillar for its new Mediterranean strategy, with a fourth CEPA round due in the UAE this week.

The UAE is forging new trade relationships with countries around the globe. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
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EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Suica delivers a speech on the Pact for the Mediterranean at the EU headquarters in Brussels in October. AFP

Overview

  • The UAE and EU formally launched negotiations in Abu Dhabi for a legally binding Strategic Partnership Agreement to deepen bilateral ties.
  • The proposed pact targets cooperation on energy, green and digital transition, artificial intelligence, research, connectivity, security, humanitarian coordination, education and exchanges.
  • Officials say CEPA free‑trade talks are moving quickly, with a fourth negotiating round scheduled in the UAE this week and a fifth planned for early 2026.
  • The CEPA agenda covers goods, services and investment, including collaboration on renewables, green hydrogen and critical raw materials.
  • EU Commissioner Dubravka Suica says the SPA would help operationalize the newly adopted Pact for the Mediterranean across MENA, while the EU underscores the UAE’s importance as a major trade and investment partner.