Chairman of the Jordan Chamber of Commerce and the Amman Chamber of Commerce, Senator Khalil Al-Haj Tawfiq, said the Jordan-EU Investment Forum represents an important opportunity to advance economic relations between Jordan and European Union countries and build deeper economic partnerships beyond traditional trade.
Speaking Saturday, Al-Haj Tawfiq said the commercial and services sectors viewed the next phase of Jordan’s relations with EU countries with great optimism, with priorities including increasing Jordanian exports, attracting high-quality investments, and more broadly connecting local companies with European markets and value chains.
The Jordan-EU Investment Forum is scheduled to be held on November 19 as part of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Jordan and the European Union, launched at the beginning of last year.
King Abdullah II and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen witnessed the signing of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement between Jordan and the EU in Brussels in late January 2025. In support of the agreement’s objectives, the EU announced a €3 billion financial and investment package for 2025-2027.
The forum will showcase promising investment opportunities in Jordan and explore prospects for partnership and cooperation in several priority sectors, including renewable energy, clean technologies, the digital economy, industry, logistics and infrastructure.
Al-Haj Tawfiq, who also serves as first vice chairman of the Arab-French Chamber of Commerce, said: “We hope to see new investments, partnerships between Jordanian and European companies, new contracts and export opportunities after the forum, and for European interest in the kingdom to translate into tangible projects on the ground.”
He stressed that the forum should mark the beginning of a sustainable economic process by identifying the opportunities and projects presented, connecting European investors with Jordanian companies, following up on business meetings and establishing a mechanism to monitor the outcomes.
He said Jordan’s private sector was ready to play its role in this process, adding that joint efforts by the government, chambers of commerce and industry, private-sector institutions and the European side were needed to identify viable opportunities and follow them up according to clear timelines.
Al-Haj Tawfiq noted that Jordan-EU relations have a strong foundation of cooperation, built on royal efforts and the longstanding ties established by King Abdullah II with the European Union. He said this required moving the strategic partnership from discussing potential and opportunities to making actual investments, increasing joint projects and improving access for Jordanian products and services to European markets.
According to statistical data compiled by the Amman Chamber of Commerce based on figures from the Department of Statistics, Jordanian exports to EU countries rose from JD179 million in 2021 to JD624 million last year, an increase of 248.4%, reaching nearly three and a half times their 2021 level.
Imports, meanwhile, increased from JD2.718 billion to JD3.163 billion over the same period, a 16.4% rise. This means the growth rate of Jordanian exports to the EU was 15 times higher than the growth rate of imports.
Last year, Jordanian exports to EU countries rose 39.3% from 2024, increasing from JD448 million to JD624 million in 2025, while imports grew 10.6%, from JD2.861 billion to JD3.163 billion.
Al-Haj Tawfiq said the figures reflected a significant improvement in the ability of Jordanian products to access European markets and demonstrated that the private sector had considerable room to expand its presence in one of the world’s largest markets with strong purchasing power.
He added that the positive export trend had continued this year, with Jordanian exports to EU countries reaching about JD318 million in the first half of the year, compared with JD233 million during the same period in 2025, an increase of 36.5%.
This increase in exports was accompanied by a 10% decline in Jordan’s imports from the EU during the first half of this year, falling to JD1.419 billion from JD1.576 billion during the same period last year.
Al-Haj Tawfiq, who also serves as third vice chairman of the Arab-German Chamber of Commerce, said the objective was not to reduce trade or imports from Europe, but rather to increase Jordan’s share of the equation by raising and diversifying exports and increasing the added value of national products entering European markets.
He said continued export growth alongside declining imports was a positive indicator that should be built upon by opening more channels for national products and addressing the technical, procedural and trade barriers limiting their access to European markets.
One of the key indicators pointing toward a different phase in economic relations, Al-Haj Tawfiq said, was the volume of untapped export potential. Jordan has an estimated $1.3 billion in export potential for various products in EU and Western European markets.
He stressed that these figures and data should be transformed into an action plan for the public and private sectors, identifying target products, markets and companies and addressing obstacles preventing this potential from being realized.
According to Amman Chamber of Commerce data, Jordan’s main exports to EU countries include pearls, precious and semi-precious stones, precious metals and related products, clothing, fertilizers, inorganic chemicals, and aluminum and its products.
Major imports from EU countries include cars, vehicles and their parts, machinery and mechanical equipment, cereals, pharmaceutical products, and electrical machinery and equipment.
Italy is the leading destination for Jordanian exports to the EU, followed by the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Greece. Germany is the leading source of Jordanian imports, followed by Italy, Romania, France and Spain.
Al-Haj Tawfiq said this concentration highlighted the need to expand the map of targeted European markets and avoid limiting Jordanian exports to a small group of countries or products, while working to introduce new Jordanian goods and services to the European market.
On investment, European investment flows into Jordan amounted to about $277 million last year, accounting for 13.7% of total foreign direct investment flows into the kingdom, according to data covering EU countries and the United Kingdom. EU countries alone accounted for about 9.6% of total investment inflows.
European investments are concentrated mainly in the services sector, particularly energy, environmental services, health and social services, telecommunications, transport, education, tourism, financial and legal services, information technology, chemical industries, diversified manufacturing, construction materials, textiles and clothing, and electronics.
In this regard, Al-Haj Tawfiq said Jordan was seeking high-quality European investments whose value extends beyond the amount of capital involved, contributing to technology and knowledge transfer, enhancing production and export capabilities, creating jobs, and linking Jordanian companies to European value and supply chains.
The strategic partnership between Jordan and EU countries identifies several priority sectors, including digital technologies and digitalization, green and renewable energy, sustainable tourism, mining, fertilizer production and pharmaceuticals, as well as entrepreneurship and innovation.
Statistical data from the Amman Chamber of Commerce showed that a solid base already exists for strengthening the investment partnership. As of September 9, 215 partners from EU countries were registered with the chamber, with total registered capital shares of about JD735 million.
The services, consultancy and other sectors accounted for the largest share, with 107 partners and capital shares totaling JD668 million. They were followed by telecommunications and information technology with 24 partners; food products with 20; health, pharmaceuticals and related supplies with 18; the financial and banking sector with 17; and construction and building materials with 14. The remainder were distributed among other sectors.
Al-Haj Tawfiq said the presence of this base of European partners at the Amman Chamber of Commerce provided a platform for launching new investments, expanding the operations of existing companies and building direct links between the Jordanian and European business communities.
He stressed that the next phase should not remain limited to the import and export of goods, but should move toward partnerships between Jordanian and European companies, joint investment, export-oriented manufacturing, technology and expertise transfer, and connecting Jordanian small and medium-sized enterprises to European supply chains.
He noted that Jordan’s services sector has significant potential, particularly in information technology, consulting, engineering, healthcare, tourism and education services. This requires treating services exports as a key component of a strategy to expand Jordan’s economic presence in Europe.
Investment in Jordan, he added, offers value beyond the size of the domestic market given the country’s location, network of trade agreements, expertise and human resources, making it a potential platform for European companies seeking access to regional markets.
He called for the formation of a joint public-private council and specialized committees under it to follow up on the outcomes of investment forums and ensure their implementation.
Al-Haj Tawfiq said developments in the region and future opportunities linked to Iraq, Syria and Lebanon and reconstruction projects open broad avenues for alliances between Jordanian and European companies in construction, energy, transport, logistics, healthcare, industry and services.
He added that the Jordanian private sector’s regional experience, knowledge of local markets and commercial relationships represented added value that European companies could benefit from when considering entry into these markets and participation in future projects.
He stressed that trade statistics and figures between the two sides carried a clear message: Jordan-EU economic relations are advancing, Jordanian exports are growing at a notable pace, and investments and partnerships already have an established foundation. All available potential should therefore be fully utilized.
Al-Haj Tawfiq also called for establishing Jordanian trade offices in several European countries under the name “Jordan House,” staffed by qualified professionals specializing in economics and investment promotion. He said these offices could serve as permanent showcases for Jordanian goods, services and tourist destinations, as well as information banks providing European businesspeople with the kingdom’s investment map, the executive program of the Economic Modernization Vision, investment opportunities, feasibility studies and incentives.
Source: Petra
