Italy, Qatar, the UAE and the EU: Saudi Arabia as a base, not just a market.

Four agreements in a single month point the same way: Saudi Arabia is being positioned as the hub from which companies serve the Gulf and beyond.

Italy

The Federation of Saudi Chambers and Cassa Depositi e Prestiti signed an MoU to improve market access for businesses in both countries. Bilateral trade reached USD 12 billion in 2025; more than 100 Italian startups already operate in the Kingdom with around EUR 180 million deployed. Focus areas: infrastructure, telecoms, data centres, tourism and culture, with a planned digital business-matching platform for SMEs.

Qatar

Bilateral trade reached about USD 1.98 billion in 2025, up 36%, and grew a further 18% in the first quarter of 2026. The work now is on simplifying import and export procedures, supply chains, SME participation and making business establishment easier. More than 977 Saudi companies already operate in Qatar.

The UAE

An MoU on electricity grid interconnection and rail connectivity, with plans to extend the grid across the GCC. More efficient energy and freight networks make cross-border operations cheaper, which strengthens the case for treating Saudi Arabia and the UAE as complementary markets rather than alternatives.

The EU

The EU-GCC Summit in Riyadh on 24 October comes as the relationship moves from trade (EUR 165.7 billion in goods in 2025) toward investment, technology, AI, clean energy and resilient supply chains, with a proposed free trade agreement in the background.

Sources: Federation of Saudi Chambers, Saudi Press Agency, European Commission; author's practice.