His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, recently received Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France. In a meeting held in Abu Dhabi, the two leaders discussed the strategic relations between the UAE and France and ways to enhance them across various fields.
Sheikh Abdullah welcomed the visit of Jean-Noël Barrot, affirming that the UAE and France share deep historical ties. He also noted that bilateral cooperation is witnessing continuous and sustainable growth across all areas, in line with the two countries’ shared efforts and goals towards achieving sustainable development.
During the meeting, the two ministers also discussed the overall developments in the region, as well as regional and international updates.
UAE-France ties deepen
The UAE and France have continued to expand their partnership across key sectors. Last month, the UAE-France High-Level Business Council held its third plenary meeting in Paris, which came at a pivotal moment for both countries following the signing of the landmark UAE-France Framework for Cooperation in Artificial Intelligence Agreement.
During the meeting, several partnerships were signed between private sector companies from both countries, reinforcing cooperation in various strategic sectors. One of the key agreements was a partnership framework between Masdar, TotalEnergies and 2PointZero to support clean energy initiatives in emerging markets and developing economies across Africa and Asia.
Another agreement was a memorandum of cooperation between ADNOC and Veolia, which focuses on optimizing water consumption. The partnership will explore various measures, including water recycling, reducing overall water usage, minimizing the carbon footprint, and developing comprehensive action plans to address water loss in the short, medium and long term.
Additionally, Abu Dhabi Ports signed a partnership with the French company Pascal to develop AI-driven solutions. This collaboration will focus on integrating artificial intelligence models, quantitative analysis and advanced algorithm development.
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Trade ties to grow further amid free trade deal prospects
Trade relations between the two countries have also witnessed a significant increase, with non-oil trade increasing by 21.3 percent in 2024, reaching approximately AED44 billion ($12 billion), compared to AED36.7 billion in 2023. Additionally, the UAE hosts the largest number of French companies operating in the Middle East, with about 600 companies employing more than 30,000 employees. The UAE is also France’s second-largest investor in the GCC.
This trade relationship is set to expand further, especially amid prospects of a UAE-EU free trade deal. Earlier this month, the EU and the UAE agreed to launch free trade talks, marking a positive step forward in EU–UAE relations.
UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Her Excellency Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, agreed to launch negotiations towards a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) during a phone call.
The EU is the UAE’s second-largest trading partner, accounting for 8.3 percent of the UAE’s total non-oil trade. In 2024, non-oil trade between the UAE and the EU reached $67.6 billion, representing a 3.6 percent growth compared to the previous year.
The UAE is also the EU’s largest export destination and investment partner in the Middle East and North Africa. By reducing tariffs and unnecessary trade barriers and improving market access for goods and services, the CEPA is expected to foster opportunities in key sectors such as advanced manufacturing, healthcare, logistics and artificial intelligence, among others.
