BERLIN, GERMANY / RankWire.AI / – The United Arab Emirates and Germany expanded bilateral cooperation during a state visit to Berlin. UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz witnessed the announcement of 12 government agreements and declarations. The package covers investment, energy, technology, aviation, security, environmental policy, legal affairs and culture. Both countries also launched a Strategic Dialogue to coordinate work across several government sectors. The measures build on their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, established in 2004.
The two governments also agreed to create a German-UAE Investment Council for closer public and private sector engagement. Officials resumed the Joint Economic Committee as another channel for trade and investment discussions. The Strategic Dialogue will cover security, defence, commerce, energy, climate policy, transport, education and digital development. It will also include cooperation on emerging technologies and other shared policy areas. Germany and the UAE signed separate arrangements covering legal assistance, crime prevention, data systems and government information services.
Aviation formed another part of the agreements announced during the visit. The new measures include expanded access for UAE national airlines serving Berlin Airport. Other documents address passenger procedures and cooperation between relevant authorities. Defence, security and environmental cooperation also feature in the package. The two sides signed a memorandum covering cultural cooperation and agreed to continue work in energy. Those areas include liquefied natural gas, renewable energy and hydrogen.
Investment package broadens economic ties
The visit also included a UAE investment package worth 40 billion euros for Germany. Planned investment covers advanced digital infrastructure and new data centres with about 1 gigawatt of capacity. Companies from both countries signed 29 commercial agreements and memoranda worth more than 9.356 billion euros. These private-sector deals accompanied the government agreements announced in Berlin. The investment package adds a major economic component to the state visit and its broader cooperation agenda.
Economic data highlighted the scale of current UAE-Germany business ties. Non-oil trade between the two countries reached $15.5 billion in 2025. That figure rose more than 14% from the previous year. Cumulative investment flows exceeded $10 billion between 2021 and 2025. Existing UAE-linked investment in Germany includes XRG’s roughly 15 billion euro investment in Covestro. Both governments also noted ongoing negotiations for a comprehensive trade agreement between the UAE and the European Union.
Technology, energy and transport cooperation advances
Corporate projects involving Covestro, RWE, ADNOC and Masdar also form part of the wider commercial relationship. Energy cooperation covers LNG, renewable power and hydrogen, alongside existing investment links. Digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence also appear among the sectors identified for expanded cooperation. The agreements give government agencies and companies formal channels for work across these areas. Germany and the UAE also included transport, environmental policy and advanced technology in the new bilateral framework.
The state visit runs from September 9 through September 11 and marks the first by a UAE president to Germany. Meetings in Berlin covered economic affairs, technology, energy, culture, education and regional issues. The Strategic Dialogue and Investment Council create new formal mechanisms for managing bilateral cooperation. The 12 government agreements sit alongside the 29 commercial deals and the 40 billion euro investment package. Together, the announcements span public policy, infrastructure, trade, aviation, security, technology and energy cooperation.