Dubai: The Federal National Council (FNC) Parliamentary Division participated in the fourth meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-European Parliamentary Committee, which is part of the regular meetings of Shura councils and parliaments of GCC countries.
The FNC Parliamentary Division was represented in the meeting, which was held remotely via video conferencing, by Hamad Ahmed Al Rahoumi, First Deputy to the FNC Speaker, and FNC member, Khalfan Rashid Al Shamsi.
At the meeting, its participants discussed the parliamentary dialogue between the GCC countries and the EU, and agreed to add an item to the meeting's agenda related to water and food security and water desalination technologies, as well as another item on the cooperation between the GCC countries and the EU in securing medical supplies and achieving readiness for future pandemics.
Al Rahoumi said that during the meeting, the FNC Parliamentary Division presented several suggestions for boosting the relations between the GCC countries and the EU, most notably regarding their cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI) and achieving food security and sustainability in times of crises and emergencies.
The meeting's participants also agreed on a response to the EU's reports on human rights in the GCC countries, energy transformation, carbon emission reduction, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Water and food security are being prioritised by the GCC countries, Al Rahoumi added, noting that international reports recently revealed that the food security measures adopted by them during the COVID-19 pandemic have been effective.
Al Shamsi stressed that the GCC countries face many challenges related to food security, most notably the scarcity of renewable water sources and how to preserve remaining water resources, in addition to climate and soil conditions.
Therefore, the FNC Parliamentary Division advised the committee to cooperate with the European Parliament to adopt a free trade policy with the European side, as well as intensify their industrial cooperation and coordinate in AI and other new technologies, he added.
