Saudi Arabia, Germany Seek to Promote Energy Dialogue and Hydrogen Alliance

Saudi Arabia is moving to expand reliance on renewable energy and hydrogen production. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia is moving to expand reliance on renewable energy and hydrogen production. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT
20

Saudi Arabia, Germany Seek to Promote Energy Dialogue and Hydrogen Alliance

Saudi Arabia is moving to expand reliance on renewable energy and hydrogen production. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia is moving to expand reliance on renewable energy and hydrogen production. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Dr. Dalia Samra-Rohte, Delegate of German Industry & Commerce for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Yemen, said that the German-Saudi Arabian Liaison Office for Economic Affairs (GESALO) sought to promote German-Saudi energy dialogue and the hydrogen alliance.

Saudi Arabia and Germany are seeking to strengthen economic and investment relations and increase trade exchange, on the sidelines of the visit of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to the Kingdom.

Samra-Rohte said that Saudi Vision 2030 created additional opportunities to further develop relations, pointing to sustainability as a major focus in the Kingdom’s aspirations during the coming period.

Opportunities were identified in the areas of renewable energy, recycling, green hydrogen, as well as the water sector, she told Asharq Al-Awsat.

She also stressed that the German industry has contributed to health care developments, major infrastructure projects and digitization in Saudi Arabia.

The delegate of German Industry & Commerce for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Yemen revealed that her country was the Kingdom’s fourth largest trading partner, noting that most of Germany’s exports to Saudi Arabia were focused on chemical products and mechanical equipment.

She went on to say that the value of German exports to the Kingdom reached 5.6 billion euros ($5.4 billion), noting that her country’s companies enjoyed a strong trade relationship with their Saudi counterparts.

Over the past years, German industry has contributed to the general diversification and localization efforts in Saudi Arabia. In this regard, Samra-Rohte emphasized that with the increasing demand for local manpower, German companies have provided job opportunities for many Saudi citizens.

The GESALO office regularly organizes exchange programs and helps Saudi students, who complete their studies in Germany, to find suitable job opportunities, she concluded.



UK Economy Grows 0.5% in February, Official Figures Show

Commuters walk as the sun rises behind Tower Bridge and the Canary Wharf financial district, in London, Britain, April 11, 2025. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes
Commuters walk as the sun rises behind Tower Bridge and the Canary Wharf financial district, in London, Britain, April 11, 2025. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes
TT
20

UK Economy Grows 0.5% in February, Official Figures Show

Commuters walk as the sun rises behind Tower Bridge and the Canary Wharf financial district, in London, Britain, April 11, 2025. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes
Commuters walk as the sun rises behind Tower Bridge and the Canary Wharf financial district, in London, Britain, April 11, 2025. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes

Britain's economy grew at a monthly pace of 0.5% in February, figures from the Office for National Statistics showed on Friday, well above economists' expectations in a Reuters poll for an expansion of 0.1%.
Britain's economy grew by a lackluster 1.1% last year. Last month government budget forecasters halved their 2025 forecast to 1%, though they see stronger performance of 1.9% in 2026.
However, these forecasts have been thrown into doubt by President Donald Trump's announcement last week of sweeping tariffs on US imports. The tariffs raise the cost of most British exports to the United States by at least 10% and more than double the cost of imports from China.
Even before the tariff announcement, Britain and other European economies had slowed due to worries about US trade policy. British businesses also said they were reining in hiring and investment plans due to a big rise in employment taxes and the minimum wage that took effect this month.
However, there had been some signs that weak consumer spending had been starting to pick up as wage growth continued to outstrip inflation and retail sales beat economists' expectations in February.