EU-GCC
The European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council signed an Economic Cooperation Agreement in 1988 which laid the framework for the elaboration of a bilateral free trade agreement between the two regional blocs. Formal negotiations began in 1990 and are still not concluded.
While the EU has powerful economic interests in liberalising investment rules in the Gulf States, so that EU corporations may participate directly in the region’s oil, banking, telecoms, port services and other industries, political issues have been publically blamed for blocking agreement. These include demands from the EU with regards to fulfilling standards of democracy and human rights, as well as clauses on cooperation against terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. Human rights groups, such as the International Federation for Human Rights, have urged the EU to insist on respect for freedom of press, women’s rights and labour rights of migrant workers in the Gulf countries in return for any trade concessions granted through the FTA.
At the end of 2008, the GCC formally announced it was suspending the trade talks due to the EU’s insistence on political demands.
last update: May 2012
Articles
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26-Dec-2010 Sweden eyes stronger relations with UAE, supports EU-GCC FTA agreement
Swedish officials have expressed their country’s desire for wider trade and investment relations with the UAE and for a stronger presence in the Gulf country for Swedish businesses seeking to further expand into the whole Gulf region. -
23-Jun-2010 Export duty halts signing of agreement with EU
Export duty is one pending issue that needs to be resolved before an EU-GCC free trade agreement is signed, disclosed Tomas Dupla del Moral, Middle East and south Mediterranean External Commissioner with the European Commission in an email exchange with the Kuwait Times this week. -
20-Jun-2010 EU-GCC relations enter new phase
The European Union (EU) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) last week celebrated 22 years of their relationship by launching a three-year Joint Action Programme (JAP) to move forward to stronger cooperation with confidence and optimism. -
9-Jun-2010 Difference on duties blocks GCC-EU deal
Despite 98% of the issues of the long-awaited Free Trade Agreement between the GCC and EU having been successfully negotiated, the GCC’s decision to impose customs duties on EU exports remain the only sticking point, an EU source has said. -
27-May-2010 Bloomberg GCC members suspend free-trade talks with Europe
“Negotiations were suspended because EU countries added a clause depriving GCC countries the right to impose duties on EU exports in the future,” the Director General of the External Economic Relations Department at the Gulf Cooperation Council said. -
22-Apr-2010 UAE to push GCC-EU free trade plan
The UAE will push for a long-awaited free trade agreement between the GCC and the European Union during the Emirates presidency of the Gulf states’ bloc next year, said the Foreign Minister. -
23-Mar-2010 Gulf Times GCC states may not resume EU FTA talks
GCC states may once again refuse to resume free trade agreement talks with the European Union due to “intransigence” on the European side, a senior official said. -
25-Nov-2009 Peninsula Lobbies trying to stall FTA with EU: Attiyah
Lobbies representing European petrochemicals and aluminum industries are attempting to stall the long overdue free trade agreement between the Gulf Cooperation Council and the European Union because they are concerned about compettion from the GCC -
1-Oct-2009 Xinhua FTA between GCC, EU expected to be sealed next March: Kuwaiti official
The long-awaited negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council is expected to be completed by next March, a Kuwaiti senior official said Tuesday. -
29-Sep-2009 Business 24/7 EU urged to sign free trade deal with Gulf states
Gulf oil producers yesterday urged the European Union to stop setting conditions and sign a free trade agreement that has eluded the two sides for nearly two decades because of persistent rifts. -
11-Aug-2009 SmartBrief Gulf states, EU to resume negotiations over free-trade agreement
The EU is expected to drop "noneconomic demands" to which the Gulf states object, according to a report from the Emirates Industrial Bank. -
27-May-2009 Gulf News EU free trade secondary to Asia pacts: Al Mansouri
The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is concentrating on trade talks with East Asia after negotiations with the European Union stalled, Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy, said. -
6-May-2009 West accused of ‘hypocrisy’ on free trade
A former Qatari minister yesterday lambasted Western “hypocrisy” and “double standards” when it came to free trade agreements (FTAs) with smaller nations. And he maintained that the GCC-US FTA was a thing of the “past”. -
6-May-2009 Gulf Weekly GCC-EU FTA hits roadblock again
Free trade talks between the GCC and the European Union have been suspended again after the two sides failed to reach an agreement on human rights and customs duties on GCC exports to Europe. -
29-Apr-2009 Reuters US should consider trade pact with EU —manufacturers
A proposed trade deal between Canada and the European Union puts pressure on the United States to begin thinking about its own trade pact with Europe, U.S. manufacturers said on Tuesday. -
29-Apr-2009 Gulf News EU-GCC free trade talks to resume after being derailed in December
The European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council’s Joint Council meet today at the Al Bustan Palace Hotel to put on track the Free Trade Agreement talks that were derailed by the GCC last December. -
12-Apr-2009 Easy Bourse GCC mulls reopening free trade talks aith EU
The Gulf Cooperation Council chief and Saudi and Omani ministers on Sunday discussed how to revive talks on a free trade accord with the European Union that broke down in December -
29-Jan-2009 Gulof News EU responds to demands with more demands
The demands which stood as obstacles to signing an EU-GCC FTA are non-commercial demands, although GCC countries made a great leap in updating and modernising economic and commercial laws in the past years, thinking this would meet EU requirements in this respect. -
6-Jan-2009 Emirates Business 24/7 Massive GCC trade imbalance at heart of failed FTA with EU
Gulf oil producers have accused their main economic partner the European Union (EU) of lacking interest in signing the long-sought free trade deal as it shifts interest to partners in East Europe. -
29-Dec-2008 Gulf News Row stalled Gulf-EU talks
A disagreement over human rights and democracy was behind the suspension earlier this month of trade talks between the Gulf Cooperation Council and the European Union, an Omani official said yesterday.
