An investigation by several media outlets has found that companies linked to the UAE’s ruling Al Nahyan family received more than €71 million in European Union farming subsidies over a six-year period. The payments reportedly went to agricultural businesses and farmland operations in Romania, Spain and Italy connected to subsidiaries linked to the Emirati royal family and Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth interests.
The investigation said much of the funding came through the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy, a subsidy system designed to support farmers and rural development across Europe. Critics argue the system disproportionately benefits wealthy landowners and large corporations, including foreign investors with significant political and financial influence.
One of the largest reported beneficiaries was Agricost, a Romanian agricultural company operating what is described as the European Union’s largest farm. Campaigners and some European lawmakers have questioned why public agricultural subsidies are being directed toward entities connected to one of the world’s wealthiest royal families. UAE-linked companies named in the reports have not publicly commented on the allegations.
