The EU and the GCC: Challenges and Prospects under the Swedish EU Presidency

June 8-9, 2009
Lund University, Lund, Sweden

The purpose of the two-day workshop led by the Gulf Research Center (GRC) and the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Lund University, Sweden, was to outline the key areas of cooperation for the EU and the GCC in light of the Swedish EU Presidency beginning, on July 1, 2009. The workshop focused on the “EU-GCC Economic Relations and the Global Financial Crisis”, “The Gulf Security Environment and the Role of the EU”, “Development Issues and GCC-EU Relations” and “The Role of Culture and Identity in a Globalizing World: Improving Understanding between Europe and the Gulf”.  The discussions held were an opportunity to impress upon Swedish policy officials the GCC perspective on important issues.