Abu Dhabi - Mubasher: Trade between the UAE and the European Union (EU) exceeded AED 32 billion in the first half of 2016, said assistant under-secretary for foreign trade at the Emirati ministry of economy Juma Mohammed Al Kait.

Trade between the two parties reached more than $65 billion in 2015, up from $10.2 billion in 1999, Al Kait said during the first EU-Arab World Summit, held from 3 to 4 November in Athens, Greece.

The UAE ranks as the 13th largest EU trading partner and the 8th largest destination of European exports in 2015, Al Kait indicated according to a press release.

The UAE accounts for 44% of the EU’s non-oil trade with the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and 23% of all trade with the entire Arab region, added Al Kait.