Economists call for deals before Jordan-EU summit opens
last updated: 8 h ago
Amman — The Jordanian-European Investment Conference, scheduled for November 19, carries expectations that go well beyond presentations and networking. Economists and business leaders say the event must yield tangible projects and partnerships, draw European capital into the Kingdom, create jobs, and sharpen the competitiveness of the national economy.اضافة اعلان
The conference arrives as Jordan advances opportunities in energy, renewable energy, water, mining, pharmaceuticals, food, technology, transportation, and logistics — sectors where the government is seeking to deepen its economic partnership with the European Union.
Economists and private sector representatives, speaking in separate interviews with Al-Ghad, said concrete results depend on preparing bankable, implementable projects, coordinating the roles of government, the private sector, and financial institutions, and establishing clear mechanisms for tracking agreements and measuring their impact.
Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II chaired a meeting last month at Al Husseiniya Palace to review preparations for the conference. He stressed the need to present investment opportunities focused on national priorities and vital sectors, and called for accelerating plans to develop the investment environment and business readiness.
The Crown Prince also underlined the importance of aligning public and private sector efforts to remove obstacles to investment, strengthen Jordan-EU investment partnerships, and — from the very first day after the conference ends — following up systematically on its recommendations using clear measurement tools.
Fathi Al-Jaghoubir, Chairman of the Jordan and Amman Chambers of Industry, said the conference is an opportunity to move Jordanian-European relations from traditional cooperation toward deeper investment and production partnerships — ones that transfer technology and knowledge, increase added value, develop supply chains, and generate jobs.
Al-Jaghoubir said the conference can showcase Jordan's industrial capabilities and connect European investors with available opportunities. He noted that Jordanian products reach more than 150 markets worldwide and that exports to European markets are growing, providing a solid base for attracting further investment.
He identified the most prominent industrial opportunities as pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, chemicals and fertilisers, food, engineering and electrical products, apparel and textiles, renewable energy and green technology, and related industries.
Al-Jaghoubir said it was important to attract European industrial companies to establish production lines and joint ventures in Jordan, which would transfer technology, expertise, and added value locally while giving European companies a competitive production and export base close to regional markets.
He stressed the need to continue working with the European side to simplify rules of origin, address technical and non-tariff barriers, and ease conformity assessment and accreditation procedures, saying the benefit Jordanian industry derives from the Partnership Agreement and rules-of-origin arrangements remains below expectations.
Jordanian exports to the European Union rose 37 percent in the first half of this year, reaching approximately 318 million dinars, compared with 233 million dinars in the same period last year, Al-Jaghoubir said. He added that untapped export opportunities in European markets for Jordanian products — particularly in clothing, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and fertilisers — are estimated at around $926 million.
He said that combining easier access to the European market, improved rules of origin, stronger readiness among Jordanian companies, and better promotion and networking with European buyers could produce a qualitative leap in Jordanian export volumes in the coming years.
Mohammad Al-Samadi, President of the European Chamber of Commerce in Jordan, said the conference marks a significant milestone in translating the strategic partnership between Jordan and the EU into viable projects. He said the focus must shift from general promotion of opportunities to building direct partnerships between Jordanian and European companies.
Al-Samadi said the conference's importance extends beyond attracting capital. It also covers the transfer of European technology and expertise, integrating Jordanian companies into European value and supply chains, opening new markets for national exports, and creating quality jobs.
He pointed to promising opportunities in renewable energy and green hydrogen, water desalination and reuse, mining and fertilisers, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, food and export industries, information technology and digital services, and transportation and logistics.
The conference's success should be measured by the scale of projects and partnerships launched and implemented afterward, Al-Samadi said. He emphasised the need to prepare clear, funding-ready projects that include feasibility studies, location details, incentives, licences, a partnership model, and a timeline.
Al-Samadi said the Chamber aims to serve as a bridge between the Jordanian and European business communities by linking up with European chambers, federations, companies, and investors, and by organising investment missions and bilateral and sectoral meetings.
He added that the Chamber also works to help Jordanian companies meet European market requirements — including sustainability standards, rules of origin, technical and environmental standards, and the requirements of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism — and supports them in accessing European partners, financiers, and supply chains.
Economic expert Reem Badran said the conference is a genuine opportunity to position Jordan more effectively on the regional and international investment map, and that its success will be measured by the volume of investments and the number of projects that move from concept to implementation.
Badran said conference preparations should shift from presenting opportunities to actively building deals before the event opens. She called for identifying priority national projects and preparing them technically, legally, and financially so they are ready for European investors when they arrive.
She emphasised involving investment funds — particularly Jordanian ones — as well as local financial institutions and investors in the preparatory process, whether through partial funding or equity stakes in strategic projects, noting that a local partner enhances foreign investor confidence.
Badran called for finalising preliminary approvals and regulatory procedures for several major projects before the conference, enabling the launch of public shareholding companies in strategic sectors including infrastructure, energy, transportation, water, technology, and logistics.
She stressed the importance of holding bilateral business meetings, signing concrete agreements, and announcing clear and measurable financial commitments. She also called for broadcasting the conference's main sessions via television channels and online platforms in both Arabic and English, and said an executive follow-up unit should be established after the conference to monitor agreements and commitments and issue periodic reports on projects commenced, funding secured, and jobs created.
Economic expert Munir Diya said the conference marks a significant milestone in Jordanian-European relations and can strengthen a strategic partnership that already encompasses financing packages, aid, and investments estimated at more than 3.1 billion euros.
Diya said the conference should contribute to increased European investment flows into Jordan, open opportunities for Jordanian exports, remove obstacles, and grow trade volumes. He pointed to Jordan's advantages: its geographical position connecting East and West, the Port of Aqaba, its logistical capabilities, and natural resources including phosphate, potash, oil shale, natural gas, silica, and copper.
He said preparations should include energy, renewable energy, the digital economy, and technology, and stressed the need to prepare investment opportunities in advance with comprehensive studies covering funding requirements, expected results, incentives, and exemptions.
Diya cited major projects in energy, water, transportation, and logistics — including the national carrier, railways, gas, ammonia, and green hydrogen projects, as well as infrastructure, road projects, and the Umrah City project — saying the initial value of some of these projects exceeds 14 billion dinars. He called for the private sector to play a greater role in partnering on major projects through public-private partnerships.
He also stressed the importance of Jordanian industry making fuller use of exemptions and the trade agreement with the EU, and of streamlining rules of origin, which he said would boost exports and trade. The conference's success, Diya said, will ultimately be measured by the partnerships, projects, investments, and new jobs it produces.
This article was originally written in Arabic for Al Ghad. Edited to english by Jordan News.
The conference arrives as Jordan advances opportunities in energy, renewable energy, water, mining, pharmaceuticals, food, technology, transportation, and logistics — sectors where the government is seeking to deepen its economic partnership with the European Union.
Economists and private sector representatives, speaking in separate interviews with Al-Ghad, said concrete results depend on preparing bankable, implementable projects, coordinating the roles of government, the private sector, and financial institutions, and establishing clear mechanisms for tracking agreements and measuring their impact.
Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II chaired a meeting last month at Al Husseiniya Palace to review preparations for the conference. He stressed the need to present investment opportunities focused on national priorities and vital sectors, and called for accelerating plans to develop the investment environment and business readiness.
The Crown Prince also underlined the importance of aligning public and private sector efforts to remove obstacles to investment, strengthen Jordan-EU investment partnerships, and — from the very first day after the conference ends — following up systematically on its recommendations using clear measurement tools.
Fathi Al-Jaghoubir, Chairman of the Jordan and Amman Chambers of Industry, said the conference is an opportunity to move Jordanian-European relations from traditional cooperation toward deeper investment and production partnerships — ones that transfer technology and knowledge, increase added value, develop supply chains, and generate jobs.
Al-Jaghoubir said the conference can showcase Jordan's industrial capabilities and connect European investors with available opportunities. He noted that Jordanian products reach more than 150 markets worldwide and that exports to European markets are growing, providing a solid base for attracting further investment.
He identified the most prominent industrial opportunities as pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, chemicals and fertilisers, food, engineering and electrical products, apparel and textiles, renewable energy and green technology, and related industries.
Al-Jaghoubir said it was important to attract European industrial companies to establish production lines and joint ventures in Jordan, which would transfer technology, expertise, and added value locally while giving European companies a competitive production and export base close to regional markets.
He stressed the need to continue working with the European side to simplify rules of origin, address technical and non-tariff barriers, and ease conformity assessment and accreditation procedures, saying the benefit Jordanian industry derives from the Partnership Agreement and rules-of-origin arrangements remains below expectations.
Jordanian exports to the European Union rose 37 percent in the first half of this year, reaching approximately 318 million dinars, compared with 233 million dinars in the same period last year, Al-Jaghoubir said. He added that untapped export opportunities in European markets for Jordanian products — particularly in clothing, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and fertilisers — are estimated at around $926 million.
He said that combining easier access to the European market, improved rules of origin, stronger readiness among Jordanian companies, and better promotion and networking with European buyers could produce a qualitative leap in Jordanian export volumes in the coming years.
Mohammad Al-Samadi, President of the European Chamber of Commerce in Jordan, said the conference marks a significant milestone in translating the strategic partnership between Jordan and the EU into viable projects. He said the focus must shift from general promotion of opportunities to building direct partnerships between Jordanian and European companies.
Al-Samadi said the conference's importance extends beyond attracting capital. It also covers the transfer of European technology and expertise, integrating Jordanian companies into European value and supply chains, opening new markets for national exports, and creating quality jobs.
He pointed to promising opportunities in renewable energy and green hydrogen, water desalination and reuse, mining and fertilisers, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, food and export industries, information technology and digital services, and transportation and logistics.
The conference's success should be measured by the scale of projects and partnerships launched and implemented afterward, Al-Samadi said. He emphasised the need to prepare clear, funding-ready projects that include feasibility studies, location details, incentives, licences, a partnership model, and a timeline.
Al-Samadi said the Chamber aims to serve as a bridge between the Jordanian and European business communities by linking up with European chambers, federations, companies, and investors, and by organising investment missions and bilateral and sectoral meetings.
He added that the Chamber also works to help Jordanian companies meet European market requirements — including sustainability standards, rules of origin, technical and environmental standards, and the requirements of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism — and supports them in accessing European partners, financiers, and supply chains.
Economic expert Reem Badran said the conference is a genuine opportunity to position Jordan more effectively on the regional and international investment map, and that its success will be measured by the volume of investments and the number of projects that move from concept to implementation.
Badran said conference preparations should shift from presenting opportunities to actively building deals before the event opens. She called for identifying priority national projects and preparing them technically, legally, and financially so they are ready for European investors when they arrive.
She emphasised involving investment funds — particularly Jordanian ones — as well as local financial institutions and investors in the preparatory process, whether through partial funding or equity stakes in strategic projects, noting that a local partner enhances foreign investor confidence.
Badran called for finalising preliminary approvals and regulatory procedures for several major projects before the conference, enabling the launch of public shareholding companies in strategic sectors including infrastructure, energy, transportation, water, technology, and logistics.
She stressed the importance of holding bilateral business meetings, signing concrete agreements, and announcing clear and measurable financial commitments. She also called for broadcasting the conference's main sessions via television channels and online platforms in both Arabic and English, and said an executive follow-up unit should be established after the conference to monitor agreements and commitments and issue periodic reports on projects commenced, funding secured, and jobs created.
Economic expert Munir Diya said the conference marks a significant milestone in Jordanian-European relations and can strengthen a strategic partnership that already encompasses financing packages, aid, and investments estimated at more than 3.1 billion euros.
Diya said the conference should contribute to increased European investment flows into Jordan, open opportunities for Jordanian exports, remove obstacles, and grow trade volumes. He pointed to Jordan's advantages: its geographical position connecting East and West, the Port of Aqaba, its logistical capabilities, and natural resources including phosphate, potash, oil shale, natural gas, silica, and copper.
He said preparations should include energy, renewable energy, the digital economy, and technology, and stressed the need to prepare investment opportunities in advance with comprehensive studies covering funding requirements, expected results, incentives, and exemptions.
Diya cited major projects in energy, water, transportation, and logistics — including the national carrier, railways, gas, ammonia, and green hydrogen projects, as well as infrastructure, road projects, and the Umrah City project — saying the initial value of some of these projects exceeds 14 billion dinars. He called for the private sector to play a greater role in partnering on major projects through public-private partnerships.
He also stressed the importance of Jordanian industry making fuller use of exemptions and the trade agreement with the EU, and of streamlining rules of origin, which he said would boost exports and trade. The conference's success, Diya said, will ultimately be measured by the partnerships, projects, investments, and new jobs it produces.
This article was originally written in Arabic for Al Ghad. Edited to english by Jordan News.