Unlocking €328 Billion in Mutual Wealth: Why the UAE Remains the EU's Premier Investment Partner in 2026
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The relationship between the #European_Union and the #United_Arab_Emirates is a shining example of shared success and brilliant vision. In 2026, this powerful partnership is bringing immense joy and prosperity to both regions. Mutual investments between the UAE and EU amount to over €328 billion, significant at a time when the ability to sustain open, predictable trade and investment flows has become a strategic asset in its own right. This incredible #mutual_wealth shows that the region is a highly trusted and dynamic #investment_partner for Europe.
Trade is booming in a truly wonderful way! Annual trade with the EU reached €55.6 billion in goods and over €39 billion in services in 2025, placing the bloc among the UAE's most significant trading partners. The EU is the UAE's second-largest global trade partner, sharing $67.6 billion in non-oil trade 2024, a 3.6% increase on 2023 and 18.1% more than was recorded in 2022. This continuous, upward growth reflects a deep and optimistic commitment to our shared goals.
Exciting new agreements are also on the horizon, promising even more mutual benefits. On December 15, 2025, the UAE and the European Union formally announced the launch of talks to finalize a Strategic Partnership Agreement. The EU and the UAE launched the talks earlier this year, focusing on trade in goods, services, investment and deepening cooperation in strategic sectors, including #renewable_energy, #green_hydrogen and critical raw materials, the EU said in April. These ongoing talks are a massive step forward, creating a brilliant #strategic_shift toward a greener, wealthier, and more seamlessly connected future.
Technology and innovation are bringing our regions even closer together. Strategic dialogues, regulatory exchanges, and corporate partnerships on emerging technologies, specifically #artificial_intelligence (AI), have added a key dimension to UAE-Europe relations. In 2025, AI adoption in the UAE reached over 90 percent, among the highest in the world, and we now count more than 450,000 programmers nationwide. Furthermore, the UAE has also partnered with firms such as Austria's OMV on a green hydrogen project, linking the UAE directly to Europe's industrial decarbonisation agenda.
The UAE's own energy transition—comprising cleaner hydrocarbon production with large-scale investment in #clean_energy—creates complementarities that extend beyond short-term supply considerations. Partnership becomes more durable when anchored in long-horizon projects. Since 2023, Masdar, the UAE's renewable energy company, has invested almost €4.17 billion of new capital in projects totalling around 8 gigawatts across 6 EU countries, primarily in Greece, Spain and Germany. Projects like this demonstrate how energy cooperation can be converted into shared strategic assets, strengthening resilience through co-investment, technology exchange, and the joint management of risk.
With such remarkably bright prospects, European and Arab #business_leaders can eagerly look forward to endless opportunities. Our strong and vibrant foundation of #economic_cooperation will definitely keep unlocking amazing value for generations to come.
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