UAE Royal Family Receives Over €71 Million in EU Farming Subsidies
UAE’s ruling royal family benefits from more than €71m in EU farming subsidies
The Guardian
Image: The Guardian
The ruling royal family of the United Arab Emirates, the Al Nahyans, has received more than €71 million (approximately $76 million) in European Union farming subsidies over six years. These funds have been allocated to agricultural operations in Romania, Italy, and Spain, raising concerns about the benefits of EU subsidies to foreign investors, particularly autocratic regimes.
- 01The Al Nahyan family has collected over €71 million in EU farming subsidies from 2019 to 2024.
- 02The largest payment was through Agricost, Romania's largest farm, which spans 57,000 hectares.
- 03Campaigners criticize EU subsidies for disproportionately benefiting wealthy landowners and foreign investors.
- 04The UAE's agricultural expansion aims to secure food supplies in a country that imports up to 90% of its food.
- 05The European Commission is proposing reforms to better target subsidies and reduce payments to large landowners.
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A cross-border investigation revealed that the ruling royal family of the United Arab Emirates, the Al Nahyans, has benefited from over €71 million (approximately $76 million) in European Union (EU) farming subsidies over the past six years. These funds have been allocated to agricultural operations in Romania, Italy, and Spain, where subsidiaries controlled by the family have extensive farmland. The largest beneficiary, Agricost, operates the EU's largest farm, covering 57,000 hectares (141,000 acres), and received €10.5 million in direct payments in 2024 alone. Critics argue that EU subsidies disproportionately favor large landowners and foreign investors, including autocratic regimes, undermining support for local farmers. The UAE's agricultural expansion is part of a broader strategy to enhance food security in a nation that imports up to 90% of its food. The European Commission is currently proposing reforms to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) aimed at capping payments to large landowners, with advocates calling for better targeting of subsidies to support genuine EU farmers. The findings highlight the lack of transparency in subsidy allocation, as many payments benefit wealthy foreign investors rather than local agricultural communities.
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The receipt of significant EU subsidies by the Al Nahyan family raises concerns about the effectiveness of agricultural support for local farmers in the EU, as funds are diverted to wealthy foreign investors.
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