Kuwait (The Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah of Kuwait received at Bayan Palace on September 11, 2024, visiting President of the European Council Charles Michel and his concurrent delegation.
During the meeting, they examined the agenda of the first European Union (EU) and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit which will take place in October in Brussels. They also tackled the outstanding relationship between Kuwait and the EU and ways to strengthen cooperation, various topics of common interest as well as the latest regional and international consequences. The meeting was accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Al-Yahya and other senior state officials.
The day earlier Kuwait Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Al-Yahya welcomed at Kuwait International Airport the President of the European Council, Charles Michel. The two sides also delved into the latest developments in the practices for the Gulf-European summit scheduled to be held in October in Brussels.
How has the EU-GCC relationship evolved over the years?
Dialogue and Cooperation between GCC and EU have been intensifying over the years and are founded on mutual interest to foster relations in all political domains. The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) is a regional association comprising six members: The Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Kuwait, the Sultanate of Oman, the State of Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Set up in 1981, its purposes are to enhance coordination, integration, and interconnection among its partners. EU-GCC relations are based on a Cooperation Agreement marked in 1989, which specifies regular dialogue on cooperation between the EU and GCC on economic concerns, climate change, energy, environment, and research.
On 18 May 2022, the Commission and the High Representative assumed a Joint Communication on a strategic alliance with the Gulf, proposing a comprehensive and more robust partnership between the EU and the GCC and its Member States. It was approved by Council Conclusions on 20 June 2022. In June 2022, the High Representative/Vice President of the European Commission designated for the first time an EU Special Representative for the Gulf (Luigi Di Maio) to additionally develop a stronger, complete, and more strategic EU partnership with the countries in the Gulf region.
