UAE Hosts Bavarian Delegation as Trade Official Expects More Growth After Record Half

According to WAM, the UAE side included representatives of UAE Chambers, the Sharjah and Fujairah chambers of commerce, Emirates, AD Ports Group, Masdar, First Abu Dhabi Bank, Elite Agro Holding, Lulu International Holding, Al Masaood and the Germany-UAE Business Council. Dr. Florian Herrmann, head of the Bavarian State Chancellery, joined the opening session, and German Ambassador to the UAE Tobias Tunkel was part of the German delegation.

Al Gergawi said the UAE and Bavaria share a commitment to innovation, industrial development and private-sector-led growth, and called Germany "one of the UAE's most important economic partners in Europe." Söder said Bavaria brings capabilities in industry, technology and innovation, while the UAE offers a globally connected platform for trade and investment.

The Trade Relationship

WAM said bilateral non-oil trade between the UAE and Germany reached US$15.6 billion in 2025, up 14.7 percent on 2024 and 19.1 percent on 2023. Germany is the UAE's second-largest trading partner in the European Union and accounts for about 20% of its non-oil trade with the bloc.

The roundtable followed the 12th UAE-Germany Joint Economic Committee and Business Forum, held in Munich in September 2026. At those meetings the two countries named energy and renewables, advanced technology and artificial intelligence, manufacturing, logistics, healthcare and life sciences, financial services, education and research, food security and infrastructure as areas for closer cooperation. WAM did not report any agreements signed at Tuesday's session, which focused on building company-to-company links and identifying investable opportunities.

Growth Despite Hormuz

Speaking at the Dubai Fintech Summit on the same day, Al Gergawi said he expects "more growth this year" in UAE foreign trade, Khaleej Times reported. Non-oil foreign trade reached Dh1.937 trillion in the first half of 2026, a record for any half-year, and he said growth remained in double digits for the first nine months despite the regional conflict earlier in the year and continuing tensions. Non-oil trade totalled Dh3.8 trillion in 2025.

Al Gergawi said challenges remain and noted that the UAE has adopted a strategy to reduce its dependence on the Strait of Hormuz. Khaleej Times reported that the country has been routing more shipments through its east coast ports and moving cargo on Etihad Rail, and that a 238km line linking Al Ain with Oman's Sohar port is expected to start trial operations late next year.

The figures come as other official data point to uneven effects from the conflict: UAE exports to Iraq fell 25% in the first half as re-export trade was hit, while non-oil trade with OIC member states rose. For European partners such as Bavaria, whose companies supply machinery, vehicles and industrial technology, the UAE's push for alternative trade routes is a central part of its pitch as a stable hub.