On May 18, 2022, the Embassy of the European Union (EU) in Saudi Arabia hosted an official Europe Day reception. This year’s celebration had a particular significance as Europe Month in Saudi Arabia kicked off on May 9, offering a range of activities for Saudis and visitors to the Kingdom to enjoy European culture, as well as learn more about the EU and its Member States. The Europe Month included events such as music concerts, art exhibitions, film festivals and unprecedented participation of EU embassy in International Conference on Education in Riyadh. The events were organized by the EU Delegation and the embassies of the EU Member States.
Indeed, May 18 has become a historic day in the diplomatic relations of the EU and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), as the High Representative and the European Commission adopted a Joint Communication on a “Strategic Partnership with the Gulf” with the aim to broaden and deepen the EU’s cooperation with the GCC and its member countries.
This partnership is beneficial both for the EU and GCC, with the EU being the world’s largest single market, a leader in research and innovation, an important security actor in the Gulf region and the leading actor on global challenges such as climate change and digitalization. In turn, GCC countries are dynamic economies and an important gateway between Europe, Asia and Africa. Increased cooperation and exchanges between the EU and GCC countries will ultimately be beneficial also for the people of both regions, improving mutual understanding and trust.
In his statement, High Representative of the EU, Josep Borrell, said: “We need to work more closely together on stability in the Gulf and the Middle East, on global security threats; energy security, climate change and the green transition, digitalization, trade and investment. We also need to strengthen contacts between students, researchers, businesses and citizens.”
As the announcement of the partnership coincided with the celebration of Europe Month in Saudi Arabia, in his elaborative speech, H.E. EU Ambassador Patrick Simonnet expressed his delight in celebrating this historic achievement.
“This partnership will take us to a higher level of political coordination; an enhanced cooperation on our respective economic strategies namely the European Green Deal and the Saudi Vision 2030; a deeper engagement on regional security matters; better ways to boost our thriving economic and trade relations; most importantly a new vision on shared renewable energies between Europe and the Gulf,” reasoned H.E. Simonnet.
The celebration of Europe Month in the Kingdom became a unique opportunity to share cultural experiences and encourage exchanges between Europe and the Kingdom to improve mutual understanding and strengthen the ties supported through the “Strategic Partnership with the Gulf,” a promising initiative for new horizons of cooperation.
