The European Union (EU) Honour Day Ceremony was celebrated on the 23rd of October 2021 at the Al Wasl Plaza.
Attending the day’s events was a delegation led by the Vice President of the European Commission, Magaritis Schinas alongside a host of dignitaries were warmly received by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director-General Expo 2020 Dubai, Her Excellency, Reem Al Hashimy; accompanied by Najeeb Mohammed Al Ali, the Executive Director of the Commissioner-General office.
In his welcoming address, Najeeb Mohammed emphasized that significant growth has been recorded in relations between the UAE and the EU since 1976 when the UAE Embassy was established in Brussels.
“We consider the EU to be a strategic partner in the growth of the GCC region and one of the major trading blocs with the UAE. We look forward to witnessing EU programmes and events that focus on fields of mutual interest, including renewable energy, green economy and climate change” he said.
Vice President Schinas said “this is a fantastic platform that the UAE gave the world by organising this amazing expo and my presence here is first to support team Europe because we are a team and also to transmit the message to the authorities of the UAE and the Gulf region, we have so many common challenges together and we are ready to do it together”.
Throughout the day, a number of events were held including the EU-Gulf Cooperation Council Business Forum - with delegates exploring through dialogue the best ways of accelerating post-pandemic recovery and cooperative efforts between the EU and GCC governments and private sectors.
To draw the events of the day to a close, the European member states put together a captivating gala of classical music and dance, evoking the conception and evolution of the EU, its status today plus a vision of its future.
