Whereas US-Gulf military cooperation has been the topic of abundant literature, the role of Europe in supporting the armed forces of the Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC) member states has attracted limited attention. The notable exception is the case of the UK, but the scholarship on British policy towards the region generally looks at its past […]

There exists a growing consensus in the European Union (EU) that its relationship with Africa is of the utmost importance to the bloc’s future, notably in response to the pressing issues of migration, security, the climate crisis and sustainable development. Yet, despite its proximity and long historical ties to Africa, Europe has experienced a significant […]

This paper describes in detail the current status of trade relations between the EU and GCC and then discusses the future prospects of the trade relationship. The paper is organised as follows. Section 2 explains the principles that govern the foreign economic strategies of the EU and GCC countries, as well as briefly describing the […]

On November 12th the Bussola Institute hosted a webinar that examined the challenges and opportunities of advancing global cooperation in a pandemic during Saudi Arabia’s G20 presidency. The G20 agenda for 2020 is “Realising Opportunities of the 21st Century for All”. This webinar discussed in detail the three themes of the Saudi G20 agenda. Empowering People: creating the conditions in […]

During the last five years, Russia’s relations with the GCC have developed along a largely positive trajectory. Moscow’s decision to leave the OPEC+ agreement and its launching of a price war with Saudi Arabia in March 2020 did not threaten the gains made by Russian diplomacy in the region. Following a cooling-off period in 2012–2014, […]

The Covid-19 pandemic has thrown the air travel and tourism industries into their deepest crises in history, with global passenger traffic currently expected to return to pre-pandemic levels in 2024 at the earliest. This has a significant impact on the aviation and international tourism industry in the EU and the GCC given that these sectors […]

This research paper addresses the water security challenges in the GCC countries within the context of climate change. It highlights the climate change impacts on water security in these countries and their priority adaptation actions, as indicated by the countries’ national communication reports to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Nationally […]

Amal Al-Haddabi, Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Bussola Institute, argues that the historic agreement reached by the UAE to stop Israel from further annexation of Palestinian territory represents a continuation of the UAE’s role as a major supporter of the Palestinian people and their struggle to regain their legitimate rights and reflects its increasing […]

On Wednesday, 1st July 2020, members of the Honorary Advisory Board (HAB) of the Bussola Institute met via videolink to engage in public debate on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and to consider its future implications, particularly in the context of European-Gulf relations. This short paper summarises members of the HAB’s contributions to the rich and diverse […]

On July 14, Ms Rosamaria Gili, Head of the Maghreb division at the European External Action Service, Dr Abdel Aziz Abu Hamad Aluwaisheg, Assistant Secretary General for Political and Negotiations Affairs at the Gulf Cooperation Council, and Dr Abdullah K. Al-Saud, Assistant Professor at Naif Arab University for Security Sciences, virtually gathered to discuss the […]