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Brussels, |
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Agricultural Relations with Middle East – Gulf countries
The EU’s agricultural relationship with this area is primarily export-oriented, especially in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) markets. The Commission identifies the GCC countries — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — as important destinations for EU agri-food exports. By contrast, imports from the Gulf into the EU are described as rather negligible, which makes this relationship structurally different from other regions where trade flows are more balanced. (Agriculture and rural development)
The EU’s agricultural interests in the Gulf are concentrated above all in supplying food and consumer products to import-dependent markets. The main EU exports to GCC countries are cereal preparations, cigars and cigarettes, dairy products, odoriferous substances, cereals — mainly barley and wheat — chocolate and sugar confectionery, and food preparations. One point is especially highlighted: the Gulf countries are a major destination for EU barley exports, with Saudi Arabia singled out as particularly important in this respect. This suggests that the EU’s agricultural role in the Gulf is tied not only to processed food exports, but also to bulk commodity sales linked to local food and feed demand. (Agriculture and rural development)
On the import side, it is clear that the GCC is not a major agricultural supplier to the European Union. EU imports from Gulf countries are limited mainly to animal or vegetable oils and live animals. In practical terms, this means the agricultural relationship is strongly weighted in the EU’s favour and functions less as a two-way supply-chain partnership than as a market-access channel for European exporters. (Agriculture and rural development)
There are other Middle East countries, specifically Iran, Iraq and Yemen. Here again, the EU is mainly presented as an exporter of agri-food products into the region. The main exports to these countries are cigars and cigarettes, wheat, cereal preparations, preparations used in animal feeding, dairy products, and poultry meat. This pattern shows a similar logic to the Gulf relationship: the EU supplies a mix of basic agricultural goods, food-processing inputs and higher-value consumer products into markets where local demand creates room for European exports. (Agriculture and rural development)
Imports from these non-GCC Middle Eastern partners are more specific and commodity-based. According to the page, the EU’s imports are dominated by nuts — especially pistachios from Iran — raw hides and skins, animal products unfit for human consumption, and fresh or dried fruits. This gives the relationship a more traditional profile, with the EU importing selected primary or semi-processed goods rather than a broad range of consumer-ready agri-food products. (Agriculture and rural development)
Overall, the EU’s agricultural relations with the Middle East and Gulf countries are driven mainly by export opportunities for European agri-food producers, especially in markets with strong import demand. In the Gulf, the relationship is clearly centred on EU sales of cereals, dairy and food preparations, with only minimal imports coming back to Europe. In Iran, Iraq and Yemen, the pattern remains export-led, although the EU also imports a narrower basket of products such as pistachios, hides and fruit. In that sense, this is one of the clearest examples on the Commission site of a regional agricultural relationship built much more around commercial outlet markets for EU products than around deeply integrated two-way trade. (Agriculture and rural development)
The is a series of agri-food trade statistical factsheets for Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, dated 19–21 May 2025, which suggests that the Commission treats these countries as individually relevant export destinations within the wider regional picture. (Agriculture and rural development)
The EU’s agricultural interests in the Gulf are concentrated above all in supplying food and consumer products to import-dependent markets. The main EU exports to GCC countries are cereal preparations, cigars and cigarettes, dairy products, odoriferous substances, cereals — mainly barley and wheat — chocolate and sugar confectionery, and food preparations. One point is especially highlighted: the Gulf countries are a major destination for EU barley exports, with Saudi Arabia singled out as particularly important in this respect. This suggests that the EU’s agricultural role in the Gulf is tied not only to processed food exports, but also to bulk commodity sales linked to local food and feed demand. (Agriculture and rural development)
On the import side, it is clear that the GCC is not a major agricultural supplier to the European Union. EU imports from Gulf countries are limited mainly to animal or vegetable oils and live animals. In practical terms, this means the agricultural relationship is strongly weighted in the EU’s favour and functions less as a two-way supply-chain partnership than as a market-access channel for European exporters. (Agriculture and rural development)
There are other Middle East countries, specifically Iran, Iraq and Yemen. Here again, the EU is mainly presented as an exporter of agri-food products into the region. The main exports to these countries are cigars and cigarettes, wheat, cereal preparations, preparations used in animal feeding, dairy products, and poultry meat. This pattern shows a similar logic to the Gulf relationship: the EU supplies a mix of basic agricultural goods, food-processing inputs and higher-value consumer products into markets where local demand creates room for European exports. (Agriculture and rural development)
Imports from these non-GCC Middle Eastern partners are more specific and commodity-based. According to the page, the EU’s imports are dominated by nuts — especially pistachios from Iran — raw hides and skins, animal products unfit for human consumption, and fresh or dried fruits. This gives the relationship a more traditional profile, with the EU importing selected primary or semi-processed goods rather than a broad range of consumer-ready agri-food products. (Agriculture and rural development)
Overall, the EU’s agricultural relations with the Middle East and Gulf countries are driven mainly by export opportunities for European agri-food producers, especially in markets with strong import demand. In the Gulf, the relationship is clearly centred on EU sales of cereals, dairy and food preparations, with only minimal imports coming back to Europe. In Iran, Iraq and Yemen, the pattern remains export-led, although the EU also imports a narrower basket of products such as pistachios, hides and fruit. In that sense, this is one of the clearest examples on the Commission site of a regional agricultural relationship built much more around commercial outlet markets for EU products than around deeply integrated two-way trade. (Agriculture and rural development)
The is a series of agri-food trade statistical factsheets for Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, dated 19–21 May 2025, which suggests that the Commission treats these countries as individually relevant export destinations within the wider regional picture. (Agriculture and rural development)
