Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
His Excellency Abdullah Ahmed Balaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability Affairs, concluded a two-day visit to the European Union in Brussels, Kingdom of Belgium, during the period from 6 to 7 March 2025, where he met with a number of senior officials and stakeholders in the fields of energy and water. According to a statement by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and published by the UAE Embassy in Brussels, which also stated, "His Excellency stressed during the meetings the UAE's solid partnership with the European Union, with a focus on harmonizing efforts and enhancing cooperation and progress in the fields of renewable energy, energy efficiency, and enhancing resilience in the field of water.
The statement added, "His Excellency's visit comes on the heels of the organizational session of the 2026 United Nations Water Conference held in New York, and coincides with the European Union Oceans Days in Brussels. During the visit, His Excellency was invited to participate in the consultative process conducted by the European Union to review the European Union's strategy to enhance resilience in the field of water.
During the consultation process, His Excellency highlighted the launch of the preparatory process for the 2026 UN Water Conference, reviewing the UAE’s priorities for the conference, and welcomed the participation of the international community in working to promote innovative, comprehensive and widely applicable solutions to address water challenges. His Excellency affirmed the UAE’s commitment to strengthening its cooperation with the European Union in the areas of climate action, energy transition, water resilience and global sustainability. Noting that the discussions held in Brussels were essential to advancing the climate adaptation and energy commitments made at the COP28 Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change held in Dubai Expo City, and ensuring strong alignment with the European Union ahead of the 2025 UN Ocean Conference, COP30, and the 2026 UN Water Conference. The visit included meetings with a number of officials from the European Union and the European Investment Bank (EIB), as part of strengthening relations and exploring opportunities to expand investment in clean energy, infrastructure, and water sustainability. His Excellency Alaa met with Dete Juul Jørgensen, Director General of the Directorate General of Energy, Florika Fink-Høger, Director General of the Directorate General of Environment, Kurt Vandenberg, Director General of the Directorate General of Climate Action, and Charlena Vecheva, Director General of the Directorate General of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, in addition to representatives from the European External Action Service. The meetings focused on advancing joint efforts in the field of water sustainability in preparation for the UN Water Conference 2026, and to promote broader climate adaptation and mitigation strategies, in addition to strengthening cooperation in preparation for the 2025 UN Ocean Conference to be held in France.