Dubai Looks to Central and Eastern Europe

The UAE is building closer ties with the CEE (Central and Eastern Europe) region.

A forum held in Dubai recently brought together ministers and business figures from Hungary, Slovakia, Montenegro, and Croatia to discuss potential capital flows between the two regions.

The Numbers Behind the Interest

Nearly 17,400 companies from Central and Eastern Europe already do business in the UAE.

The Czech Republic leads with over 300 businesses, followed by Ukraine with around 250 companies in Dubai alone, and Poland with more than 100.

Trade between the UAE and the EU hit USD 67.6 billion in 2024, up 3.6 percent from the previous year.

The EU remains the UAE’s second largest trading partner, accounting for 8.3 percent of total non-oil trade.

Why CEE Specifically

Central and Eastern European countries have built manufacturing and technical expertise that the UAE wants access to.

Poland, the Czech Republic, and the Baltic states have become notable players in defence technology and software development. Hungary has invested heavily in space and telecommunications.

At the same time, these countries are looking for markets and capital. EU regulations and funding structures can be slow.

Gulf investors offer an alternative source of financing, and Dubai offers a base for reaching Middle Eastern and African markets.

The Broader Picture

The UAE is negotiating a free trade agreement with the EU. Talks have progressed since the first round in June 2025, and the second round is scheduled for the second week of December 2025. If completed, this would be the first comprehensive EU trade deal in the Gulf region.

Meanwhile, UAE non-oil trade reached AED 3 trillion in 2024. The government’s target is AED 4 trillion by 2031, and officials say they are ahead of schedule.

Central and Eastern Europe is one piece of this expansion.

The region offers technical capabilities, educated workforces, and cost structures that differ from Western Europe.

For the UAE, building ties now positions Dubai as the default entry point for CEE companies looking at the Middle East.