In the second part of this three part series, DET’s podcast host Mariem Dekhili discusses the EU’s past mistakes on EU-GCC FTA negotiations whilst also exploring the future of green hydrogen for the GCC with ORF Middle East Fellow, Mahdi Ghuloom.
ORF ME Fellow, Mahdi Ghuloom (00:00): I think the EU has probably learnt its lesson from the previous negotiations with the GCC.
One of the reasons that the negotiations with the GCC did not succeed, according to some scholars and diplomats, is that the EU was too stringent on labour rights and other regulatory standards such as the environment.
While the EU did bring it up again in the negotiations, according to official released transcripts and the released negotiating files that were released between the EU and the GCC, this was only the first round.
What Other Elements are Included in this Deal?
ORF ME Fellow, Mahdi Ghuloom: Green hydrogen is a significant market that many Gulf countries have invested in and will continue to invest in.
The EU has a lot to learn from how we develop these technologies in our climate. As climate change evolves, the EU might face approximate climates in some of its regions.
Learning from the Gulf countries is important and how we deal with these technologies and invest in them is critical.
Then, of course, the UAE and the Gulf in general would benefit a lot from the know-how that the EU has so far.
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