From 15 to 16 April 2026, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and Magnus Brunner, European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, met with Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), in Brussels, Belgium, to discuss strengthening cooperation between the EU and the GCC, as well as the latest regional developments in the Middle East. The discussions focused in particular on the follow-up to the 2024 EU-GCC summit, cooperation on security and migration, and the importance of dialogue and de-escalation in the region.