GSO participates in the Sixth Trade and Investment Dialogue between the Gulf Cooperation Council and the European Union
GCC Standardization Organization (GSO) participated in the sixth Trade and Investment Dialogue held between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the European Union (EU), on May 30th, 2024, at the headquarters of the European Commission in the Belgian capital, Brussels. Participation encompassed a number of experts and specialists from the competent ministries, bodies and authorities in the GCC countries, and their counterparts from the relevant departments and committees of the European Commission and the European External Action Service.
In a statement, His Excellency Dr. Abdulaziz Hamad Al-Awaisheq, Assistant Secretary for Political Affairs and Negotiations at the General Secretariat of the GCC, indicated that this annual dialogue aims at enhancing the partnership between the two sides in the fields of trade and investment, and encouraging investments between the two sides, capitalizing on the available important opportunities.
The meeting focused on the investment policies in the EU and GCC, and investment priorities, with a view to enhancing relations and cooperation, creating investment opportunities, and enhancing trade and investment exchange between the two sides in the light of the economic diversification programs.
In line with the agenda of the meeting, the representative of GSO, Engineer Abdullah Al-Hadlaq, Head of the Technical Regulations Section, delivered a presentation that shed light on the Gulf standardization system, the various activities of GSO and its important and effective role as a technical arm for GCC to implement the GCC Economic Agreement, that paves the way to the Gulf common market, the customs union, and the single entry point.
GSO presentation also reviewed the GSO quality infrastructure framework, and GSO regional and international relations.
The presentation also touched on the General Committee for standards, its main technical and sub-technical committees, the Gulf teams and working groups, and its outputs in the form of approved Gulf standards and technical regulations; that is in compliance with GSO direction to promote successful practices through adopting international standards that contribute to facilitating trade and safety of products and services.
In his presentation, Engineer Al-Hadlaq also reviewed the developments in relation to the current cooperation with the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC), the signed bilateral agreements, and the Gulf technical committees that have twinning arrangement with their equivalent European technical committees.
Eng. Al Hadlaq addressed the current and future aspirations for cooperation with the European Commission in in the framework of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the green initiatives and the circular carbon economy, as well as in the field of research, innovation, product safety and standards development.
He also highlighted the role of GSO in the field of halal and its services and the relevant Gulf technical committees, Gulf standards and technical regulations approved in this field, as well as the future aspirations of GSO in relation to the Gulf halal system.
