European Union… Another Influencer Swayed by Dubai’s Glamour While Ignoring Sudan’s Bloodshed

In a sharply worded article published on 21 November 2025, Marietje Mei, a Member of the European Parliament from the GroenLinks–PvdA party, delivered a fierce critique of the European Union, arguing that it now behaves like “influencers vacationing in Dubai”—drawn to Emirati extravagance while turning a blind eye to horrific violations and war crimes in Sudan.
Mei noted that what social-media influencers do—posting luxurious photos tagged as ads or gifts—essentially mirrors a systematic image-polishing campaign orchestrated by the UAE, which manufactures a façade of glamour that conceals a heavy record of repression, exploitation, and the fueling of conflict.
According to the article, the EU is itself “accepting the gift,” benefiting from oil, gas, and critical mineral deals routed through the Gulf, even though a significant portion of these resources—especially gold—reach Europe after being looted from Sudanese mines by the Rapid Support Forces, which are accused of ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. In doing so, Mei argues, the EU becomes a participant in a “blood-stained economy.”
Mei added that the UAE is the largest supplier of weapons to the RSF, despite extensive documentation by international organizations of mass killings, systematic rape, and deliberate starvation of civilians in Darfur and other regions. Yet—even with satellite imagery, UN reports, and millions of displaced people—the European Commission continues its secret trade negotiations with Abu Dhabi without any conditions, ethical clauses, or even a single mention of Sudan on the agenda.
She further stated that the occasional expressions of concern voiced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen remain “empty” as long as the EU continues unregulated economic cooperation with a state that, according to international reports, is arming a militia committing atrocities.
Mei concluded with a clear call to immediately halt negotiations with the UAE and to impose strict EU requirements for verifying the origin of minerals and banning the import of any resource whose source cannot be authenticated. She argued that the continuation of the current situation “makes the Union complicit and strengthens regimes that hand out gold with one hand and spill blood with the other.”