BRUSSELS // Foreign ministers from the GCC and the European Union (EU) are expected to endorse on Monday an agreement to co-operate on areas ranging from nuclear safety to stemming the financing of terrorism.
"This co-operation shows that our relations are not simply trade relations," said Tomas Dupla Del Moral, the director of Middle East and South Mediterranean at the EU's directorate general for external relations. "We have a lot of common interests that we can develop."
The blocs have engaged in protracted negotiations for two decades on a free trade agreement that, if signed, would be the largest of its kind.
The three-year deal that the ministers are expected to endorse in Luxembourg on Monday will probably involve strategic partnerships that will expand on bilateral agreements, such as on security issues, already in place between nations from the two regions.
Areas of co-operation in the Luxembourg joint action scheme include trade, electricity, nuclear safety, water, transport, environmental issues, including climate change, industrial co-operation, money-laundering, terrorism financing, intellectual property rights, telecoms and information technology, scientific research and culture.
"As for the time that we have set to develop these common interests, that's very viable," said Mr Dupla Del Moral. "What we have to do is to fix ourselves on events that can take place between 2010 and 2013."
Faouzi Bensarsa, an energy counsellor at the EU, said co-operation would be focused on expertise, research and industry.
He said there was great potential for co-operation in energy.
In December, the UAE signed a contract with a Korean consortium to build four nuclear power plants in Abu Dhabi.
The International Agency for Renewable Energy is also based in the capital.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, has repeatedly stressed the UAE's keenness to develop renewable energy.
"Nuclear co-operation would not be on infrastructure, but about international rules and regulations," said Mr Bensarsa.
"We will be happy to provide them with our experience and knowledge."
Mr Faouzi expressed the EU's interest in seeing gas fields further developed in the Gulf region.
Qatar is already the EU's seventh biggest supplier of gas, but European governments are desperate to secure stable supplies.
In January, millions of Europeans were left without heat during one of the coldest winters in recent history when Russia cut off gas supplies to eastern and central Europe.
"There is a huge potential for investment in gas," he said.
With the EU unlikely to import gas from Iran in the foreseeable future, the GCC - which has reserves estimated to be worth US$7.1 trillion (Dh26 trillion) - has the potential to become a major supplier.
Most GCC states have traditionally shied away from drilling gas fields, focusing the bulk of their investments on oil.
This is beginning to change. In April, Saudi Aramco's revealed a strategic shift towards gas activity and exploration and away from drilling to develop existing oil reserves.
"The issue of gas has not been considered in the GCC because of oil," said Mr Bensarsa.
"Now, there is a political will in the GCC for gas because of the market and climate change."
Gas is a much cleaner fuel for power plants than oil. European officials are hoping a gas pipeline could run from the Gulf, through Iraq, to Europe.
"The Iraq of tomorrow is not the Iraq of today," said Mr Bensarsa.
mhabboush@thenational.ae
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TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
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2020 Oscars winners: in numbers
- Parasite – 4
- 1917– 3
- Ford v Ferrari – 2
- Joker – 2
- Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood – 2
- American Factory – 1
- Bombshell – 1
- Hair Love – 1
- Jojo Rabbit – 1
- Judy – 1
- Little Women – 1
- Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You're a Girl) – 1
- Marriage Story – 1
- Rocketman – 1
- The Neighbors' Window – 1
- Toy Story 4 – 1
The Word for Woman is Wilderness
Abi Andrews, Serpent’s Tail
Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club race card
5pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic (PA) Prestige; Dh110,000; 1,400m
5.30pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic (PA) Prestige; Dh110,000; 1,400m
6pm: Maiden (PA); Dh80,000; 1,600m
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Championship (PA) Listed; Dh180,000; 1,600m
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap; Dh70,000; 2,200m
7.30pm: Handicap (PA); Dh100,000; 2,400m
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Pad Man
Dir: R Balki
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte
Three-and-a-half stars
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster with a decades-long career in TV. He has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others. Karam is also the founder of Takreem.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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MATCH INFO
Liverpool 0
Stoke City 0
Man of the Match: Erik Pieters (Stoke)
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
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Profile of Hala Insurance
Date Started: September 2018
Founders: Walid and Karim Dib
Based: Abu Dhabi
Employees: Nine
Amount raised: $1.2 million
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, AB Accelerator, 500 Startups, private backers
Company%20Profile
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Rocketman
Director: Dexter Fletcher
Starring: Taron Egerton, Richard Madden, Jamie Bell
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
SPECS
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Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now