France and the UAE sign an energy cooperation agreement. – World Peace Organization

The governments of France and the United Arab Emirates signed an energy cooperation agreement this week to secure oil and gas supplies to the Gulf nations as Europe prepares to cut off gas from Russia.

A French government statement said the cooperation aims to establish joint investment projects between France and other countries in the fields of hydrogen, renewable energy and nuclear energy. “The agreement we signed with the United Arab Emirates has a dual strategic significance: it allows us to meet the urgent challenges of energy security in the short term, while preparing for a decarbonized future,” French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said in a statement middle.

The deal comes as UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan visits Paris on his first overseas state visit since taking power in May. According to the Ministry of Economy, other trade and energy agreements are expected to be signed during the visit, including an agreement between French energy giant TotalEnergies and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company to secure energy supplies.

The meeting comes as the war in Ukraine is in its sixth month and Europe is in the heat. Amid soaring energy prices, inflation and a cost-of-living crisis, European countries are preparing to shut down Russian gas in retaliation for sanctions on the war. Russia has so far cut off or reduced gas supplies to more than a dozen European countries; the gas is essential to keep industries running, power generation and winter heating. Nord Stream 1, a major natural gas pipeline, was also closed last week for scheduled maintenance, amid fears the passage between Russia and Germany will not be reopened.

French President Emmanuel Macron said last week that his government would develop a “sober plan” to save energy as France continued to seek to diversify its sources of natural gas. He specifically called for speeding up the transition to offshore wind farms and for more European cross-border energy cooperation if the country “we have to go without all the Russian gas”.

The UAE’s energy exports to France are mainly refined petroleum products. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that the UAE has the world’s seventh-largest proven natural gas reserves at more than 215 trillion cubic feet. The country is one of the world’s largest oil producers, with most of its oil and gas wealth concentrated in Abu Dhabi.

Human rights groups have called on Macron to take advantage of the UAE’s poor human rights record during the meeting. A Human Rights Watch statement said, “For years, the UAE has systematically cracked down on dissent… Activists, lawyers, teachers, students and those seen as critics have been arrested, prosecuted and detained, and women and LGBT people face discriminate.”