UAE-European Special Session

On 23 June 2025, we had the privilege of attending a special session hosted by the Federal National Council in Abu Dhabi on the occasion of the visit of H.E. Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament. This marked the first official visit of a President of the European Parliament to the UAE and the Federal National Council.

The UAE-European special session was chaired by H.E. Saqr Ghobash, Speaker of the Federal National Council, in the presence of representatives of European diplomatic missions and Business Councils.

The President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola highlighted that the UAE is a key partner for Europe to reduce regional tensions and find a path to prosperity, security and trade. Focusing on the EU’s approach to strengthening economic relations, she emphasised that the EU is the UAE’s second largest global trading partner, with mutual investments amounting to €328 billion and Europe being consistently the largest source of international tourism to the UAE. Furthermore, there are currently 192,000 EU nationals residing in the UAE – the highest concentration of EU nationals in any country in the Middle East – of which 28,000 are students.

By creating an open, stable, rules-based environment for doing business, the EU can drive innovation, strengthen economic investment and educational mobility, and deepen the exchanges of ideas and cultures. In turn, this would further meaningful bilateral cooperation between the EU and the UAE.