UAE Unveils Energy, Infrastructure Roadmap

Men stand in front of solar panels at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai, November 28, 2015. REUTERS/Stringer
Men stand in front of solar panels at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai, November 28, 2015. REUTERS/Stringer
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UAE Unveils Energy, Infrastructure Roadmap

Men stand in front of solar panels at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai, November 28, 2015. REUTERS/Stringer
Men stand in front of solar panels at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai, November 28, 2015. REUTERS/Stringer

The UAE government has revealed the "Road Map for Leadership in the Energy, Infrastructure, Housing and Transport sectors to define the objectives for the next ten years.

This will be done in a way that implements the Fifty Years strategy, within a comprehensive vision based on enhancing international competitiveness globally, supporting infrastructure sustainability, and shaping and boosting development projects within the framework of a comprehensive approach.

This approach would lead to a brand new and qualitative stage in this sector to fulfill the government's aspirations.

The UAE has a logistical system that is the most sophisticated and efficient of its kind in the region, and it is not possible to maintain ''our logistical excellence without enhancing the quality of the infrastructure and developing the transport sector by achieving qualitative leaps that mirror our aspirations for the next stage,'' Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president, prime minister and ruler of Dubai stated.

"We want to achieve a qualitative leap in infrastructure, energy and transport fields as part of a vision that combines inclusiveness and integration and takes into account balance and sustainability and enhances our competitiveness regionally and globally," Sheikh Mohammed stated.

"The private sector is the engine of work in the future and we will work to develop its contribution to infrastructure, energy, transportation, and housing projects in the framework of an integrated partnership," he added.

Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei, minister of energy and infrastructure, presented the Road Map to Sheikh Mohammed.

Mazrouei said the ministry's vision is based on the inclusion of all energy, infrastructure, citizens' housing, and transportation sectors within an integrated system for asset management and was developed within the ministry's initiatives aimed at promoting and sustaining services.

Through this integrated asset management system, it is expected to reduce the cost of managing and maintaining government buildings and facilities by up to 20 percent, he added.

In a related context, Mazrouei spoke about the objectives of the Federal Centre for Road Network Operations Management, which the ministry is nearing completion.

He shed light on the achievements of the citizens' housing sector, its development initiatives, a mechanism for sustainability and meeting future needs, preserving the national gains in that area, and the mechanism that works accordingly.



EU May Suspend Syria Sanctions on Energy and Transport

FILE PHOTO: A general view of the commercial harbor of Syria's coastal city of Tartous, Syria, December 14, 2024. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A general view of the commercial harbor of Syria's coastal city of Tartous, Syria, December 14, 2024. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo
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EU May Suspend Syria Sanctions on Energy and Transport

FILE PHOTO: A general view of the commercial harbor of Syria's coastal city of Tartous, Syria, December 14, 2024. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A general view of the commercial harbor of Syria's coastal city of Tartous, Syria, December 14, 2024. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo

The European Union may soon suspend sanctions on Syria related to energy and transport but has yet to agree on whether to ease restrictions on financial transactions, according to three diplomats and a document seen by Reuters.
EU foreign ministers will discuss the matter at a meeting in Brussels on Monday. The bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told Reuters on Wednesday she hopes a political agreement on easing the sanctions can be reached at the gathering.
Europe’s approach to Damascus began to shift after Bashar al-Assad was ousted as president in December by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which the United Nations designates as a terrorist group.
Officials see transport as key for helping Syria’s airports become fully operational, which in turn could facilitate the return of refugees. Energy and electricity are similarly seen as important for improving living conditions to help stabilize the country and encourage citizens to come back.
According to an EU document seen by Reuters, diplomats from the bloc's 27 members recommended taking swift action towards suspending the restrictions "in sectors necessary for economic stabilization and launch of economic reconstruction of Syria, such as those regarding energy and transport”.
The diplomats, who are part of a group that negotiates the EU’s foreign policy positions on issues related to the Middle East and North Africa, also recommended “assessing options for reopening banking and investment relations with Syria”.
“The easing of EU restrictive measures would be rolled out in a staged approach and in a reversible manner, regularly assessing if the conditions in Syria allow for further suspension,” the diplomats wrote, pointing to the need for respect for fundamental freedoms and an inclusive transition.
The wording of the document represents a compromise among EU capitals. Some governments want to move quickly to suspend sanctions, while others prefer a more careful and gradual approach to ensure Europe retains leverage.
If a political agreement is announced on Monday, European officials would proceed to work on the technical details of a suspension.
A number of sanctions should remain in place, according to the document, including measures related to the Al-Assad regime, illicit drug trade and arms trade.