UAE, Germany seek stronger trade relations in key sectors

Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, has held talks with Hendrik Josef Wüst, the Minister-President of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany, in which they agreed to pursue stronger trade ties and collaborate in key sectors such as technology, advanced manufacturing and the green economy.

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The meeting was followed by a business roundtable that paired senior figures from the region's private sector with their UAE counterparts to explore areas of mutual benefit and discuss partnership opportunities.

North Rhine-Westphalia is the economic powerhouse of Germany. Home to 37 of the country’s top 100 corporations, the region’s GDP reached $990 billion in 2024, which equates to 20% of Germany’s total economic output. Although it has historically been Germany's industrial heartland, its economic vision is focusing on digital technologies, artificial intelligence, smart manufacturing and the green economy, with research projects into water management and agri-tech solutions.

As such, it has many synergies with the United Arab Emirates, which is reflected in the growing 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.