BRUSSELS-- The first GCC-EU summit, scheduled for Wednesday, reflects the strong ties between the two entities, crowning the decades-long cooperation in various fields.
The summit, chaired by current GCC Presidency holders Qatar through its Amir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and EU Council President Charles Michel, will be an opportunity to further expand cooperation.
His Highness the Prime Minister of Kuwait Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah will partake in the summit.

According to the EU, the summit will address numerous fields of cooperation, especially in the economy, trade, investment, energy, climate collaboration, and more.

Though the summit is the first of its kind between the two sides, the GCC and the EU relations date back to 1989 when the two signed a cooperation deal, which set the mainframe of dialogue and mutual understanding. The agreement led to the formation of a joint Foreign Ministers Council, which held meetings annually.


In February of 2022, the Foreign Ministers of the GCC and the EU agreed on the joint cooperation program of 2022-27 recently updated back in October 2023. The program set GCC-EU mutual activities within the domains of trade, investment, climate cooperation, green and sustainable energy transition as well as efforts within counterterrorism.


The European Commission and the European High Representative of Foreign Affairs issued in May of 2022 a joint statement titled "Strategic Partnership with the GCC", which defined the roadmap for the EU to boost cooperation with the Gulf countries.


In the same month, the EU assigned Luigi Di Maioas as the Union's Special Representative for the Gulf region, which was in line with efforts to solidify ties. The EU is the second largest commercial partner to the GCC with a volume of trade around EUR 170 billion (USD 185 billion) in 2023, according to the Unionآ’s documentation.


The documentation also revealed that the EU imported 75 percent of its fuel needs from the GCC and the number tripled since 2020 with the start of the Russian-Ukraine war. (end) Meanwhile, Kuwaiti Ambassador in Belgium Nawaf Al-Enezi said the GCC-EU summit due in Brussels on Wednesday comes in the context of long-lasting bilateral cooperation.


Speaking to KUNA, Al-Enezi, also chief of Kuwait's missions at the EU and NATO, regarded the summit as an additional step towards the promotion of strategic cooperation between two blocs that wield much influence in the international order.


"This is reflected by an economic power estimated at more than 20 percent of the gross world product (GWP) as trade exchange hit 170 billion euros (USD 185.35 billion) in 2023," he said, citing the document of the Strategic Partnership with the GCC.


He added that the gathering reflects the strategic significance of promoting relations with the GCC countries, given their growing role and influence on the international scene, along with mutual willingness to bolster strategic partnership to the highest levels and create communication channels aiming at ensuring regional and global security and stability.


The Kuwaiti ambassador noted that the summit would come up with a final communique bearing on a host of issues involving trade, investment, dialogue on energy transition and climate change, counterterrorism, coordination regarding humanitarian aid and cooperation in regional security. 

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