UAE’s ruling royal family benefits from more than €71m in EU farming subsidies
Summary
The ruling royal family of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Al Nahyans, has received over €71 million in European Union (EU) farming subsidies between 2019 and 2024. These subsidies support large farms in Romania, Italy, and Spain, which produce crops for export to the Gulf region.Key Facts
- The Al Nahyan family controls subsidiaries that received more than €71 million in EU farming subsidies over six years.
- These subsidies come from the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (Cap), which pays about €54 billion annually to farmers and rural areas.
- The largest recipient is Agricost, a Romanian company owning the EU’s largest single farm, covering 57,000 hectares (141,000 acres).
- Agricost alone received €10.5 million in direct payments in 2024, far more than the average EU farm.
- The Al Nahyans are one of the richest royal families, with wealth mainly from UAE oil reserves, and have expanded global farmland holdings to around 960,000 hectares.
- The UAE’s farming expansion is part of a food security strategy since the country imports up to 90% of its food.
- Critics say the EU subsidies disproportionately benefit large landowners and are indirectly supporting autocratic regimes like the UAE.
- The European Commission is proposing to limit subsidy payments to large farms to improve fairness in future EU budgets.
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