The United Arab Emirates and Greece have announced two separate tracks for expanding their economic relationship. At the UAE-Greece Strategic Forum in Athens, the two countries unveiled 18 memoranda of understanding, agreements and commercial partnerships with a combined value of €12.75 billion. The UAE also announced its intention to invest an additional €15 billion in Greece through an existing joint investment initiative.
The two figures do not describe the same transaction. The €12.75 billion represents the stated total value of the 18 agreements and partnerships announced at the forum. The additional €15 billion is a forward-looking investment intention linked to an expansion of the joint investment initiative. The Abu Dhabi Media Office did not identify individual projects, recipients or a timetable for deploying that additional amount.
What sectors do the agreements cover?
According to the official announcement, the 18 deals cover digital infrastructure, advanced technology, artificial intelligence, renewable energy, clean-energy infrastructure, industry, logistics, transport and ports, healthcare and life sciences, and food security. The forum brought together government representatives, company executives, investors and business leaders from both countries.
Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis attended the event. Their talks covered broader trade and investment ties, with energy, infrastructure and healthcare identified among the areas where cooperation could be expanded.
The Abu Dhabi Media Office described the forum as a platform for developing practical projects between institutions and companies, improving supply-chain resilience and supporting the use of emerging technologies. However, neither the individual values of the 18 announced items nor their implementation schedules were disclosed.
Additional €15 billion would expand an existing initiative
The UAE’s additional €15 billion investment intention is designed to build on a joint initiative launched in May 2022 with a value of €4 billion. The official statement said that earlier framework had supported significant transactions in strategic sectors including energy and healthcare.
Reuters noted that UAE renewable-energy company Masdar completed its acquisition of Greece’s Terna Energy last year. Masdar had agreed in 2024 to buy an initial 70% stake at an enterprise value of €3.2 billion. That transaction provides a concrete example of how investment links between the two countries have already developed, particularly in energy.
The new €15 billion announcement should not be read as a completed transfer of funds or a single signed acquisition. It is an intention to pursue additional investments under the bilateral framework. The project-selection process, financing structures, participating companies and deployment schedule have not yet been made public.
A new stage in the economic partnership
Both sides present Greece’s access to European markets and the UAE’s investment capacity as complementary strengths. The forum’s emphasis on artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, clean energy and logistics suggests that the partnership is intended to extend beyond traditional capital investment into technology and long-term industrial cooperation.
The next test will be whether the memoranda and commercial partnerships produce binding contracts, financing decisions and clear delivery schedules. For now, the verified position is that 18 agreements and partnerships worth €12.75 billion were announced, while the UAE separately stated an intention to create a further €15 billion investment programme in Greece.
That distinction will remain important as implementation details emerge. The forum established a broad pipeline and political commitment, but the eventual economic impact will depend on which projects reach financial close, how quickly capital is deployed and whether the announced partnerships result in operating assets or services.
