By Martin Banks - 27th February 2009
The Gulf countries are very important to the EU for a number of reasons
Foreign affairs committee chair Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, the chairman
A fresh effort has been made to inject "much-needed momentum" into the stalled negotiations on establishing a free trade agreement (FTA) between the EU and Gulf states.
The talks, which have been going on for nearly 20 years, were recently suspended by the Gulf cooperation council (GCC).
One of the reasons was a GCC objection to the EU's insistence that a clause on human rights and democracy be inserted in any future agreement.
The other was the GCC's wish to be able to impose tariffs if industrial sectors were threatened.
On Thursday, a new body was launched in parliament designed to help restore negotiations between the two sides.
Called the Gulf policy forum, the organisation has been set up by Brussels-based EU affairs company Interel Cabinet Stewart and Middle East consultants, based in London.
Among the speakers at the start of the two-day event was Polish centre-right MEP Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, the chairman of parliament's foreign affairs committee.
He told this website, "The Gulf countries are very important to the EU for a number of reasons."
He said there were many potential areas of cooperation including energy, regional security issues and climate change.
"This is clearly an important region for the EU and resumption of negotiations on an FTA is in the interest of both sides."
Fraser Cameron, a senior adviser to Interel Cabinet Stewart, said, "The idea behind the forum is to establish another diplomatic track to the formal FTA negotiations which, unfortunately, were suspended a few months ago.
"We hope that by bringing together some of the stakeholders involved, including representatives of the business community, politicians and other experts, we can provide a channel for getting the talks resumed.
"What is clearly needed is an injection of much-needed momentum into the process," added Cameron, who will chair a session on Friday on the prospects for political, economic and trade cooperation between the EU and Gulf states.
The GCC, set up in 1981, is a body comprising six Gulf countries: Bahrain,Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. Its main objectives are to enhance co-operation among its member states in different spheres but little progress has been achieved.
Other speakers at the event include former UK Tory government minister Michael Ancram, who will chair the forum, Amal Al-Hamad, head of the GCC mission to the EU and Christian Siebert, the European commission's head of unit for international affairs.
Benita Ferrero-Waldner, EU commissioner for external relations, was due to give a keynote address on Thursday but had to withdraw at the last minute due to her attendance at an event in Washington.
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