UAE's CEPA talks with Japan and EU enter advanced stage

The UAE's negotiations on Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements (CEPA) with Japan and the European Union are now in advanced stages.

Minister of Foreign Trade, Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, says the next round of talks are set for the second week of December.

He also told the Emirates News Agency (WAM) that discussions with Nigeria and the Mercosur bloc in Latin America are progressing well, and hopes they can be wrapped up in the coming weeks.

The push for new agreements is part of a wider drive to expand trade and investment opportunities and deepen development partnerships.

Al Zeyoudi highlighted that the UAE’s non-oil foreign trade hit a record AED 2.67 trillion in the first nine months of 2025, up nearly 25 per cent year-on-year, with third-quarter figures approaching the AED 1 trillion mark for the first time.

The minister added that the agreements implemented for more than a year have yielded positive results, with trade growing by 19.4 per cent with India, 16.6 per cent with Turkey, 5.2 per cent with Indonesia, 45 per cent with Cambodia, and more than 100 per cent with Costa Rica during the first nine months of 2025.