Europeans should be partners

Later this year the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will host the United Nations climate conference (COP28), while the UN’s regional Climate Week for the Middle East and North Africa will take place in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, Europeans should be partners of choice for the Gulf monarchies. This is due to the competitive edge of Europe’s know-how around the energy transition, but also existing industrial and technological ties between the regions and geographic proximity. Some European actors have sought to explore these complementary energy interests through increased engagement with the GCC over the past year. But the reality beyond the media hype is that the European approach has been scattered and short-sighted. The European Union has not devoted enough energy to advancing a coordinated policy; the most ambitious สล็อต