United Arab Emirates

Political relations

At the instigation of Sheikh Zayed, the authorities of the United Arab Emirates decided early on to acquire a deterrence-focused defence system and turned to France for it. Our relations, which at first were limited to hydrocarbons and security cooperation, now involve a wide spectrum of activities: cultural and academic cooperation, the stationing of permanent French forces in Abu Dhabi, joint projects in the area of renewable energy, cooperation in the areas of new technologies, artificial intelligence, food security, health and the space sector, among others. Consultations take place very regularly at the highest level, and the strategic dialogue established in 2012 helps ensure operational follow-up of the major projects which structure our bilateral relationship. On 3 June 2020, France and the United Arab Emirates thus adopted a roadmap for the next ten years of their strategic partnership (2020-2030).

Economic relations

With €3.3 billion in French exports to the Emirates, the UAE is France’s second-largest export destination in the Gulf. The volume of bilateral trade stood at €4.8 billion in 2019, its first increase after five straight years of decline. Our exports cover a wide range of sectors. The three leading export sectors (accounting for more than 70% of our sales) are capital equipment, chemicals, perfumes, cosmetics, textiles and clothing. Conversely, imports (estimated at €1.5 billion) are dominated by hydrocarbons. There are more than 600 French companies working in the United Arab Emirates (+10% per year), including most major CAC 40 groups. In France, the United Arab Emirates is the second largest investor in the Gulf Cooperation Council, after Qatar.