The announcement of tectonic shifts in the geopolitical order has become a reflex, as if observing them alone leads to new conclusions. The international system has never been static; change is inevitable, it is shaped by context and the choices that states make in conditions of uncertainty.
In this moment of polarization, weakened institutions and crumbling norms, we should not choose to narrow cooperation to a degree that is immediately convenient, or to treat partnership as an episodic phenomenon. We must take a different course.
The UAE has made a choice – the necessary choice, to invest in partnerships that can evolve with changing conditions, based on shared principles and reinforced by a commitment to sustained dialogue. Anchored in resilience, these partnerships are our greatest asset and our surest path to stability in volatile times. When political ideas diverge, economic ties falter, or global upheavals occur, this resilience provides a mechanism to manage disagreements and prevent them from hardening into rift.
For the UAE, our relationship with Europe is prominent in this approach. Europe remains an important global player, where the UAE can serve as a geopolitical nexus, situated at the crossroads of global trade, security dynamics, and technological innovation. We share a stake in the same systems and complement each other’s capacities to strengthen them. It is important to be united in our shared values and in our belief that periods of uncertainty reward those who build bridges, not walls.
When the international environment goes through periods of unpredictability, the pertinent question is whether the partnership can in practice deliver the resilience needed to meet the challenges of the coming era. In this regard, the UAE-Europe relationship has already proven itself, passing three “tests” of resilience. Together, we have demonstrated that we can generate prosperity despite tensions, strengthen stability within faltering systems, and uphold security and human dignity in times of crisis. These are the products of the hard work that characterizes our long-standing relationship and illustrate the strengths for the future of our partnership.
Generating prosperity under pressure
Prosperity is capacity. It defines the resilience of a country under pressure through growth and opportunity. The economic layer of the UAE-Europe relationship is already significant, and our ties have both the scale and structural capacity to strengthen resilience. Annual trade with the EU reached EUR 55.6 billion in goods and over EUR 39 billion in services in 2025, placing the bloc among the UAE’s most significant trading partners. The EU remains a major destination for Emirati investment, while the UAE serves as a critical export and investment hub for European firms operating in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Mutual investment between the UAE and the EU amounts to over EUR 328 billion, which is significant at a time when the ability to maintain open, predictable trade and investment flows has become a strategic asset in its own right.
Technology is changing the way value is created, becoming a key driver of prosperity and a core component of diplomacy. Strategic dialogues, regulatory exchanges and corporate partnerships on emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), have added a key dimension to the UAE-Europe relationship. Europe has taken a leading role in AI governance, developing regulatory frameworks that place transparency, accountability and human oversight at the heart of it. The UAE has invested heavily in AI infrastructure, talent development and AI diplomacy. In 2025, AI adoption in the UAE reached over 90%, among the highest levels in the world, and there are now over 450,000 programmers across the country. Investments directed at AI exceeded €126 billion in 2024 and 2025.
This convergence is already leading to concrete initiatives. Launched last year, the UAE-France AI Cooperation Framework includes projects in renewable energy, advanced semiconductors, joint research platforms and investment in a 1-gigawatt computing complex in France. Our collaboration reflects a shared recognition that capacity and reliable interoperability will shape the next phase of the AI era. Systems will need to communicate across borders, platforms and legal frameworks, while operating within agreed standards and safeguards. This interoperability will determine whether we, in collaboration with our European partners, will harness the productivity gains of AI while mitigating the risks, including those to digital sovereignty.
Our approach is also based on the understanding that Europe’s digital future depends on reliable partners, resilient infrastructure and shared strategic intent. In February 2025, the UAE and Italy agreed to strengthen their cooperation in the fields of artificial intelligence, data infrastructure and digital transformation, with the UAE committing billions in investments in these sectors. In the industrial sector
At the UAE level, MGX and G42 signed a letter of intent with Italy’s Ente Nazionale Idrocarburi (ENI), establishing plans to develop data center infrastructure in Italy with a potential capacity of up to 1 gigawatt. In parallel, our Ministry of Investment and the Italian government agreed to collaborate on the creation of green data centers with a target capacity of up to 2 gigawatts, supporting economic competitiveness, technological sovereignty and long-term stability.
Strengthening systems in transition
However, prosperity depends on functioning systems. The UAE maintains a deep commitment to multilateralism and respect for international law, and we share this commitment with our partners across Europe. As beneficiaries of a rules-based international order, we have a common interest in upholding frameworks that preserve stability. At the same time, we share the understanding that institutions must be able to respond more effectively to contemporary crises. Reform of shared institutions such as the United Nations has become a condition for relevance. Keeping pace with geopolitical developments means ensuring that our international systems are efficient, equitable, and capable of serving humanity for sustainable prosperity. Advocacy and support for this reform are necessary to maintain trust in multilateral institutions in a more plural and contested world.
The energy sector is also undergoing a transformation at a systemic level, as the growing global pursuit of net zero emissions rethinks economic competitiveness and reinvigorates international cooperation. Europe’s ambitious decarbonisation agenda has increased demand for diversified energy sources and technologies, including renewables, hydrogen and energy storage. The UAE’s own energy transition – involving the production of cleaner hydrocarbons with large-scale investments in clean energy – creates complementary linkages that extend beyond short-term supply considerations.
In January 2017, the UAE launched its national “Energy Strategy 2050” to increase the contribution of clean energy to the overall energy mix from 25% to 50% by 2050 and reduce the carbon footprint of electricity generation by 70%. In July 2023, the UAE announced plans to invest an estimated €46.09 billion in renewable energy by 2030 to reach net zero emissions by 2050. The UAE has been a proactive participant in multilateral climate efforts, helping – in partnership with the EU – to adopt the UAE’s landmark consensus at the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference – a commitment to transition away from fossil fuels by tripling renewable energy and doubling energy efficiency, reaffirming the Paris Agreement.
Partnerships are more sustainable when they are based on long-term projects. Since 2023, Masdar, the UAE’s renewable energy company, has invested almost €4.17 billion in new capital in projects with a total capacity of around 8 gigawatts in 6 EU countries, mainly in Greece, Spain and Germany. The UAE is also partnering with companies such as Austria’s OMV on a green hydrogen project, linking the UAE directly to Europe’s industrial decarbonisation programme. The 140-megawatt power plant is expected to be among the five largest hydrogen facilities in Europe and is scheduled to start operations in late 2027. Through the project, OMV will produce up to 23,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year using renewable energy from wind, solar and hydropower, saving up to 150,000 tonnes of carbon emissions per year. Projects like this demonstrate how energy cooperation can become shared strategic assets, strengthening resilience through joint investments, technology sharing and joint risk management. The premise is practical: energy systems must remain reliable even as they become cleaner, and transitions are most resilient when they are orderly rather than abrupt.
Maintaining stability in crisis
The partnership also promotes responsibility in crisis. The UAE and Europe work in regions struggling with instability. We share a responsibility to uphold principled diplomacy, to pursue humanitarian action that protects human dignity, and to cooperate against threats that undermine coexistence.
Humanitarian engagement is a key point of convergence in our foreign policy identity. The UAE places humanitarian aid and development assistance as central pillars of its international engagement and is ranked by the UN as one of the world’s leading humanitarian aid donors. The UAE was one of the world’s largest humanitarian donors, contributing over €1.3 billion in 2025 to support global relief efforts. European countries, collectively and individually, are also among the world’s most generous humanitarian donors and the most influential actors in the humanitarian system, with the European Commission contributing around €2.6 billion in 2025 to address urgent global crises.
Our humanitarian cooperation extends to global crises, including Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan, based on a shared commitment to alleviating suffering and focusing on human lives.