Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
As part of efforts to strengthen people-to-people contacts between the GCC countries and the European Union, the European Union will host the first edition of the “Young Leaders in Regional Diplomacy” program between the EU and the GCC countries. The program brings 14 young diplomats from the Gulf Cooperation Council and GCC member states to Brussels and Bruges, between 12 and 17 May, to learn about the principles and performance of the European Union and its diplomatic service. According to a statement distributed in Brussels, a copy of which we received, “During their visit, the diplomats from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries will exchange with senior European Union officials, representatives from prominent European think tanks, and the diplomatic missions of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries to the European Union, and finally they will meet with young European diplomats at the Academy.” European Diplomacy, at the College of Europe in Bruges Diplomats will also immerse themselves in cultural and social activities.
This program is the first of its kind in the relationship between the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, and it derives concretely from the commitment of the two regional blocs to strengthen and expand cooperation in a wide range of fields, as foreseen in the European Union strategy to develop closer relations. With the Gulf Cooperation Council and was reaffirmed at the High-Level Forum held on April 22 in Luxembourg.
The program coincides with the second anniversary of the EU Joint Communication on the Strategic Partnership with the Gulf, published in May 2022, and the related Council Conclusions on 20 June 2022.
This programme, coordinated by the Office of the European Union Special Representative for the Gulf Region, Luigi Di Maio, is implemented with support from the European Commission's Foreign Policy Instruments Service.