The EU and GCC have embarked on a new era of strategic partnership

One year since starting my mandate as the first ever EU Special Representative for the Gulf, I am very optimistic about the trajectory, depth and growing strength of the emerging EU-GCC strategic partnership to generate sustainable peace and prosperity in our two regions and beyond. We equally see an increasing level of trust and a genuine sense of mutual understanding, humility and reliability. It reflects a new political psychology that deeply inspires our very ambitious strategy. The EU has become acutely aware of the absolute urgency of a fresh and coherent approach to reflect, strengthen and lead the growing strategic convergence with the GCC around trade, investment and new technologies; energy security, climate change and green transition; people to people; regional, global security and humanitarian challenges; and a new generation of dedicated institutional engagements. Despite unprecedented challenges, we have already achieved concrete results over the past months such as harmonising Schengen visa regimes to five years for all the GCC countries concerned; launching the first structured security dialogue at the senior official level; inaugurating the first European Chamber of Commerce in the region and bringing together for the first time young diplomats from the EU and GCC countries in a dedicated joint training and leadership programme. However, plenty of hard work still lies ahead. The GCC partners are among the first we co-ordinate with when regional crises emerge. One day after the Hamas-led terrorist attack against Israel on October 7, the EU and GCC foreign ministers co-ordinated their response at the Joint Council in Muscat. Similarly, we held the first ever High-Level Forum on Regional Security and Co-operation, convening High Representative Josep Borrell with the EU and GCC foreign ministers, just shortly after the Iranian missile and drone attack against Israel. These events, next to Russia’s war against Ukraine, and their unfolding consequences have fundamentally unravelled regional security in Europe and the Gulf. They have seriously tested our shared defence of the core institutions and principles of the international rules-based order such as sovereignty, territorial integrity and international humanitarian law. These critical times managed to bring us closer together than maybe ever before and force us to face jointly the biggest diplomatic tests of our generation. Today, the EU and GCC strongly converge when it comes to key priority actions in Gaza and on making irreversible progress towards a two-state solution. We see eye to eye on the need to prevent the risks of military escalation or of a nuclear arms race in the region, on the peace process in Yemen and the need to safeguard freedom of navigation. In less than two months, the newly launched EU military operation, known as ASPIDES, escorted more than 100 merchant vessels in the Red Sea and repelled 16 Houthi rocket attacks. The EU’s approach to Iran partly resonates with the policy of the GCC countries, balancing dialogue as well as deterrence. The EU welcomes the latest steps in the region towards diplomatic normalisation with Iran as part of efforts to sustain regional stability and de-escalation. We also converge on the path towards peace in Ukraine. The GCC countries, meanwhile, have been instrumental in mediating the return of an increasing number of Ukrainian children, out of thousands illegally held by Russian authorities, and have been playing a key role in the latest peace formula meetings. We encourage the same positive contributions following the recent Peace Summit in Switzerland. Both our economies and societies are going through deep changes, and we are increasingly synchronising our actions to put our transformative agendas and visions into place. This does not mean that we don’t have differences. But we need to use our re-energised trust to work on areas where there is still room for growth and synergies such as trade; further harmonising our efforts on Russia sanctions; the speed and depth of climate action after Cop28; Schengen visa waivers; individual and gender empowerment and rights of our citizens; achieving peace in various hotspots in Africa, or partnering there for the sake of secure and sustainable development. The maturity to discuss frankly our differences makes us stronger. It is the first key step towards crafting immediate and long-lasting solutions. And let us be clear: the EU-GCC partnership is complementary to those the GCC countries choose to have with our regional and global allies and sometimes even our competitors. We should not fear competition, as long as we abide by the same rules. The prospect of the first ever EU-GCC Leaders Summit later this year is an essential milestone. It will fundamentally shape our shared strategic ambitions and our partnership that has become vital for the security and prosperity of our two regions and for the entire world.