Relations between Europe and the Gulf Cooperation Council predate the formation of the European Union and can be traced to the inaugural European Council-GCC joint ministerial meeting in 1985. This was followed by negotiations that led to the signing of a cooperation agreement to foster closer ties between the two regional blocs and eventually negotiate a free trade agreement. Yet, despite the EU and GCC sharing several key common interests in the fields of trade, energy, climate change, security, and culture, multilateral cooperation remains limited, with most engagement between individual European and GCC countries.
How can the EU deepen its engagement with Gulf countries? And what sectors hold the greatest potential for engagement at the multilateral level? What are the prospects and challenges for increased cooperation on each side? As the United States recalibrates its involvement in the region, is there an opportunity for the EU to play a larger regional role? How can the EU contribute to easing tensions in the Gulf region while also furthering its strategic interests? What are the opportunities for increased EU-GCC engagement on the cultural and societal levels?
AGSIW was pleased to host this timely conversation on these questions and more. Adel Abdel Ghafar and Silvia Colombo additionally discussed their recently published volume, “The European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council: Towards a New Path,” which expands on many of these issues.
Interested readers can receive a special discount of 20% off the printed book or e-book using the following token on palgrave.com: haxFj8k2bpjyMQE. Valid Aug. 31–Sept. 28, 2021.
