Export obstacles impeding cooperation between GCC, EU

The Gulf Cooperation Council states expressed on Tuesday complaints of obstacles created by the European Union before a free exchange agreement.

AFP quoted GCC Secretary General Jamil al-Hujeilan as saying at opening deliberations of the meeting due to be held between the two groups that the current negotiations to conclude a free trade agreement is proceeding well, yet "constraints on our exports are still there, especially aluminum and several petrochemical products."

Al-Hujeilan criticized certain European states which are persistent on dealing with these exports as "sensitive commodities," while the European Union is the first trade partner for the GCC market, before the US and Japan.

For his part, United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Rashed Abdullah al-Nu'eimi said that the GCC member states constitute the fifth ranking export market for the European Union and the only international market whose trade balance with the EU records a surplus of US $19 billion (in favor of the EU). He added, "For that reason means should be found to deal with this imbalance through doubling the flow of the GCC commodities to the markets of the European Union."

For his part, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jasem Bin Jaber al-Thani criticized the European Union, saying, "Till now we have not concluded results relating to exchanged commodities."

He added that the relations between the GCC and the EU are not satisfactory on the collective level (on the level of the GCC in general rather than individual states), while proceeding smoothly and naturally on the bilateral level, adding that until now there is no agreement.

UAE Foreign Minister Rashed Abdullah al-Nueimi is heading the ministerial delegation of the GCC to the meeting, while his Finnish counterpart Tarja Halonen is presiding over the EU delegation (Finland holds the current six-month presidency of the EU).