The UAE and Germany have held a meeting to enhance trade ties and work together across various sectors such as technology, advanced manufacturing and the green economy.
The talks were led by Dr. Thani Al Zeyoudi, the UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade, and Hendrik Josef Wüst, the Minister-President of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany.
Following the meeting, a business roundtable gathered senior figures from the region’s private sector with their UAE counterparts to explore areas of mutual benefit and unlock partnership opportunities.
As the economic powerhouse of Germany, North Rhine-Westphalia is a home to 37 of the country’s leading 100 corporations. In 2024, the region’s GDP reached $990 billion, accounting for 20 percent of Germany’s total economy.
Though it has long been recognized as Germany’s industrial heartland, its economic vision is centering on digital technologies, artificial intelligence, smart manufacturing and the green economy, with research projects into water management and agri-tech solutions.
It has many synergies with the UAE, reflected in the expanding ties between the two, including Emirati investments into North Rhine-Westphalia’s ammonia value chain and the development of hydrogen as a form of renewable energy.
Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade
“The United Arab Emirates has long enjoyed a positive and productive relationship with Germany, and North Rhine-Westphalia, with its industrial heritage and forward-looking vision, has been central to it. From the digital economy to energy transition and the green economy, we see a multitude of avenues for cooperation and investment, while our free-trade network can ensure the region’s industrial output can seamlessly reach key markets in Asia and Africa. The UAE also remains an open, welcoming business environment for any enterprises from North Rhine-Westphalia seeking to expand into the Middle East and help develop our industrial and innovation ecosystem. Today’s meeting with HE Wüst and the subsequent business roundtable will help create the networks that can facilitate this activity, and we remain on hand to support bilateral trade and investment flows in the months and years ahead.”
In 2024, the UAE and Germany, the world’s third-largest economy, shared non-oil trade worth $13.8 billion, a 5.4 percent increase compared to 2023. The UAE investments in Germany exceeds $1.2 billion, committed to various projects across the region.
Recently, the UAE has revealed its plans to open negotiations towards a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union, of which Germany is the single largest economy.
