France and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) redefined their economic future at Vision Golfe 2025, a forum aimed at deepening strategic ties and co-developing the economic futures of both regions.

Over two days, more than 1,200 participants, including 550 high-level representatives from GCC countries, convened at the French Ministry of Economy, Finance, and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty to discuss the importance of strengthening ties between the two regions.

The 2025 edition of Vision Golfe focused on forward-looking cooperation in energy, artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, water, waste management, and other sectors.

France sees powerful synergies between its France 2030 strategy and the transformative agendas of GCC nations, particularly in renewables, AI, deep tech, industrial innovation, and human capital.

These shared priorities offer a strong basis for co-investment, co-production, and long-term joint value creation.

A key highlight was the launch of a dedicated panel on education and human capital, which focused on talent strategies linked to Vision 2030 agendas, cross-border knowledge and expertise transfer, and the expansion of French academic institutions in the region to support long-term workforce transformation.

One such initiative is the partnership between École Polytechnique and Mohamed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) in the UAE, a clear signal of France’s contribution to the Gulf’s knowledge economy.

Total trade between France and the GCC reached €21 billion ($24 billion) in 2024, supported by a dynamic network of 17,000 French exporters to the Gulf, indicating growing bilateral momentum and mutual opportunity.

The forum hosted five ministers, around 80 top-level speakers, over 2,000 formal and informal meetings, and more than 70 partner organisations, solidifying its position as a premier platform for France-GCC economic collaboration.

The event was opened by Laurent Saint-Martin, French Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and French Nationals Abroad, and Didier Boulogne, Deputy CEO for Export, Business France.

Five ministers participated in this year’s forum, including Éric Lombard, French Minister of Economy, Finance, and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty; Ahmad Al-Sayed, Minister of State for Foreign Trade Affairs, Qatar; and Mohammad Alhawi, Undersecretary of the Minister of Investment, UAE.

Other key participants included Jean-Yves Le Drian, President of AFALULA and former French Minister; Dr Nouf Alnumair, Secretary General of the Ministerial Committee of Health in All Policies, Saudi Arabia; Pascal Cagni, French Ambassador for International Investment and Chairman of Business France; Abeer AlAkel, Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Commission for AlUla, Saudi Arabia; and Shaima Saleh AlHusseini, Managing Director of Saudi Sports for All Federation, Saudi Arabia.