Kuwait’s Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received a written message from Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz that included an invitation to participate in the second summit between the Gulf Cooperation Council and the European Union. The Kuwait News Agency reported that the letter specified the event would take place in the Saudi capital on October 24. Saudi Ambassador to Kuwait Prince Sultan bin Saad bin Khalid Al Saud delivered the message at Bayan Palace. Several senior officials attended the reception, among them Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al-Ali Al-Sabah, Director of the Amir’s Office Retired Lt Gen Jamal Mohammed Al-Dhiyab, Undersecretary of the Amiri Diwan Sheikh Abdulaziz Mishal Mubarak Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs at the Diwan Mazen Issa Al-Issa.
The upcoming gathering follows the inaugural EU-GCC summit held in Brussels on October 16, 2024, under the theme of strategic partnership for peace and prosperity. European Council President António Costa will co-chair the Riyadh meeting on the EU side alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, according to official EU announcements. Leaders from all 27 EU member states and the six GCC countries plan to address ways to expand political dialogue, security coordination and economic ties. The first summit produced commitments to prevent conflict escalation, advance resilient supply chains and intensify cooperation on energy transition and climate action.
Eurostat figures show total trade in goods between the EU and the GCC reached €165.6 billion in 2025, with EU exports to the region valued at nearly €110 billion. The EU stands as the GCC’s second-largest trading partner while the GCC ranks as the EU’s sixth-largest overall trade partner. Trade volumes have risen almost 30 percent over the past decade, driven largely by EU machinery, transport equipment and chemical exports alongside GCC fuel and mineral shipments that make up more than 75 percent of EU imports from the bloc. Services trade added another €84.4 billion in 2024, with the EU recording a surplus in that category.
The second summit arrives as both sides pursue deeper institutional links, including negotiations toward a regional free trade agreement and individual strategic partnership pacts with each GCC member state. The European External Action Service has noted that the 2022 EU strategy for the Gulf region has already led to elevated senior officials meetings, human rights dialogues and thematic working groups. Saudi Arabia’s role as host reflects its position at the center of GCC decision-making and its growing profile in global multilateral forums.
Bilateral EU arrangements with individual GCC states, including cooperation pacts signed between 2016 and 2021, provide additional layers to the collective framework. The appointment of an EU special representative for the Gulf in 2023 has further intensified high-level engagement on regional security and economic diversification. Officials on both sides have signaled that the Riyadh meeting should translate earlier political declarations into concrete operational cooperation across trade, investment and clean energy domains.
Kuwait has consistently supported strengthened GCC-EU relations, viewing the partnership as vital for regional stability amid complex international challenges. The Amir’s acceptance of the invitation continues a pattern of active Kuwaiti participation in GCC-led initiatives that seek to align positions on global issues. Preparations for the October summit are expected to build on outcomes from the 2024 Brussels gathering, where leaders agreed to enhance dialogue mechanisms and explore tailored investment agreements.
