Foreign Affairs
Luxembourg and UAE Sign Treaty to Pursue Cross-Border Crime Together
A new bilateral pact aims to speed judicial cooperation on serious crime, including financial and economic offences, as the two governments deepen their partnership.
Luxembourg and the United Arab Emirates have signed a bilateral treaty designed to make it easier for their judicial authorities to assist one another in criminal investigations, the two governments announced. The Cooperation Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters was signed during a working visit to Luxembourg on Friday, 22 May 2026, by the UAE's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
According to Luxembourg's Ministry of Justice and the news outlet Chronicle.lu, the treaty was signed by Luxembourg's Minister of Justice, Elisabeth Margue, and the UAE's Minister of State, Lana Zaki Nusseibeh. The instrument is intended to strengthen judicial cooperation and facilitate mutual legal assistance between the two countries' judicial authorities, covering all forms of serious crime — including financial and economic crime.
A treaty aimed at serious and financial crime
Mutual legal assistance agreements are the workhorses of international criminal justice, allowing prosecutors and investigators in one country to request evidence, testimony and other support from counterparts abroad. For Luxembourg, a major financial centre, a framework that explicitly reaches financial and economic crime carries particular weight, giving authorities in both states a clearer channel for cross-border investigations.
The signing capped a day of high-level diplomacy in Luxembourg City. The visiting Emirati minister met Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Xavier Bettel, who hosted the visit, and was also received by Grand Duke Guillaume and Prime Minister Luc Frieden. According to the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UAE Minister of State Saeed Mubarak Al Hajeri and the UAE's Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and the EU, Mohamed Ismail Al Sahlawi, also attended.
"An important partner, trusted friend and ally"
Bettel framed the visit as a marker of close relations between the two countries.
It was an honour and a pleasure to welcome His Highness Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan to Luxembourg today. The United Arab Emirates remains an important partner, trusted friend and ally of Luxembourg.
Beyond the treaty, the two ministers discussed bilateral economic, financial and innovation ties, areas where Luxembourg and the Gulf state have sought to expand cooperation.
Middle East tensions loom over the talks
The meeting also turned heavily on the security situation in the Middle East. According to Chronicle.lu, the ministers addressed the "fragile" ceasefires in Iran and Lebanon, Iranian missile and drone attacks against the UAE and other Gulf states — including a 17 May 2026 drone attack on the Barakah nuclear power plant — and the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz. They also discussed cooperation on the evacuation of Luxembourgish and European citizens from the region.
Bettel underscored Luxembourg's stance on the recent attacks.
Luxembourg stands in solidarity with the UAE following the recent attacks by Iran on its territory and continues to support diplomacy as the path to lasting peace.
What comes next
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chronicle.lu dated their statements 23 May 2026, while the official Luxembourg government communique is dated 22 May 2026, the day of the signing. As with most international treaties, the agreement will typically require ratification before it takes full legal effect, after which judicial authorities in both countries will be able to lean on the new framework when pursuing cross-border cases — from organised and serious crime to the financial and economic offences that the text expressly covers.
Frequently asked
- What did Luxembourg and the UAE sign?
- They signed a bilateral Cooperation Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, a treaty intended to strengthen judicial cooperation and facilitate legal assistance between the two countries' judicial authorities in criminal investigations, covering all forms of serious crime, including financial and economic crime.
- Who signed the treaty and when?
- Luxembourg's Minister of Justice Elisabeth Margue and UAE Minister of State Lana Zaki Nusseibeh signed the treaty on Friday, 22 May 2026, during a working visit to Luxembourg by UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
- What else did the two countries discuss?
- Beyond the treaty, the ministers discussed bilateral economic, financial and innovation ties, as well as the Middle East situation — including fragile ceasefires in Iran and Lebanon, Iranian attacks on the UAE such as the 17 May 2026 drone strike on the Barakah nuclear plant, the Strait of Hormuz, and evacuating Luxembourgish and European citizens from the region.
- Why does the treaty matter for Luxembourg?
- As a major financial centre, Luxembourg benefits from a framework that explicitly covers financial and economic crime, giving its authorities a clearer channel to request evidence and assistance from the UAE in cross-border criminal investigations.
Sources
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