ABU DHABI,— The United Arab Emirates and the European Union are making swift progress in their free trade negotiations, UAE State Minister Lana Nusseibeh said Thursday during a briefing with an EU commissioner.

The talks, launched earlier this year, focus on trade in goods and services, investment, and cooperation in strategic areas such as renewable energy, green hydrogen, and critical raw materials, the EU said in April.

According to Nusseibeh, the fourth round of negotiations is scheduled to take place in the UAE this week, while a fifth round is planned for early next year.

“We are having very productive conversations,” she said.

The EU is the UAE’s second-largest trading partner, representing 8.3% of the country’s total non-oil trade.

The Gulf state is also the EU’s top export market and largest investment partner in the Middle East and North Africa, according to the UAE state news agency.

(With files from Reuters)

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