High-Level Dialogue in Doha – Former Commissioners Underscore EU’s commitment to Strategic Partnership with the Gulf and the shift to concrete action

High-Level Dialogue in Doha - Former Commissioners Underscore EU's commitment to Strategic Partnership with the Gulf and the shift to concrete action

Policymakers, diplomats, and experts gathered at the UN House in Doha today for a high-level seminar titled "Gulf, Nordic, and Europe - the New Strategic Partnership for Human Capital and Digital-Driven Future Economies." The event, co-organized by the Embassies of Finland and Sweden, the Delegation of the European Union to the State of Qatar, and the UNESCO Regional Office for the Gulf States and Yemen, marked a milestone in the deepening of EU-Gulf relations.

Building on the momentum of the Nordic-Gulf dialogue launched in December 2025 in Doha, the seminar served as a platform to pave the way to identify practical opportunities for collaboration, focusing on shared priorities that underpin both regions' long-term visions-from digital transformation and AI to education, skills development, and sustainable economic growth. Catalysed by the forthcoming Strategic Partnership Agreements (SPAs), the event examined ways to deepen collaboration and unlock sustainable, long-term prosperity, offering strategic perspectives on regional and international cooperation.

The seminar featured an unprecedented reunion of four former EU Commissioners (2019-2024) who were the architects of the EU's pivot toward the Gulf:

Ms. Margrethe Vestager (Denmark): Former Executive Vice-President "A Europe Fit for the Digital Age." A leading global voice on technology, she was instrumental in shaping Europe's digital sovereignty, AI regulation, and competition policy.

Ms. Jutta Urpilainen (Finland, resident in Doha): Former Commissioner for International Partnerships. She spearheaded the EU's "Global Gateway" strategy, focusing on sustainable investments in education, health, and climate across the globe.

Ms. Kadri Simson (Estonia): Former Commissioner for Energy. She led Europe's transition toward green energy security and played a vital role in establishing hydrogen and renewable energy dialogues with international partners.

Ms. Ylva Johansson (Sweden): Former Commissioner for Home Affairs. She was a key architect in managing European security, labor migration, and the development of talent partnerships to meet the needs of modern economies.

They together stated their position:

"Our joint presence here in Doha, as Members of the European Commission in 2019-2024, represents a testimony that the EU's proposal for a strategic partnership with the Gulf in 2022 was a serious offer, based on shared interests of connectivity and trade, of human capital and digital transition, and of diplomacy and mediation. The successful EU-GCC Summit, co-chaired by HH the Amir of Qatar, decided on shared intentions in 2024. Now during 2026, it is time to come together and agree on concrete joint action."

One of the hosts of the event, Mr Salah Khaled, director of the UNESCO Regional Office for the Gulf States and Yemen, stated, ''UNESCO, as a knowledge producer and a laboratory of ideas, has recently produced two regional reports related to the theme of today's event: Green transition and required skills in the GCC and Yemen and Digital transformation and AI institutional maturity in the GCC and Yemen. Through these reports, and in line with UNESCO TVET strategy 2022-2029, UNESCO expresses its commitment to contributing to this dialogue on the development of skills policies in the region, and to supporting the formulation of policy outcomes emerging from today's seminar.''

H.E. Dr. Cristian Tudor, Ambassador of the European Union to the State of Qatar said: "We are living in a period when diversification is essential. Qatar has shown itself a compelling example, and the EU-through Global Gateway and strengthened regional partnerships-has pursued a parallel path. In a world where the rules governing international conduct are being tested, the EU remains anchored in international law and a rules-based order. This is who we are. Qatar shares that commitment, which is precisely what makes our partnership so consequential. The forthcoming EU-Qatar Strategic Partnership Agreement will deepen this cooperation while anchoring people-to-people exchanges in research, innovation and education."

The participants agreed that 2026 will serve as the definitive year to translate these high-level strategic intentions into tangible, joint actions that secure prosperity for both regions.