Sara Skyttedal Exposed: MEP Accused of Secret UAE Ties and Covert Lobbying

By Brussels Watch Investigations

From the BrusselsWatch Report: “UAE Lobbying in European Parliament: Undermining Democracy and Transparency” (April 2025)

Sara Skyttedal, a Swedish Member of the European Parliament (MEP) representing the Christian Democrats within the European People’s Party (EPP), has recently come under scrutiny for her alleged involvement in promoting the political and economic interests of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) within the European Parliament. Based on leaked travel documents, transparency reports, and investigative findings, Skyttedal’s parliamentary conduct appears closely aligned with UAE foreign policy objectives. Her name prominently appears in a recent report by Brussels Watch, a transparency watchdog that identified 150 MEPs allegedly serving UAE interests in the EU legislature. Her repeated engagement in activities that benefit UAE strategic ambitions has raised significant concerns over transparency, ethical standards, and foreign lobbying in EU policymaking.

Inclusion in the Brussels Watch Report: A Clear Signal of UAE Alignment

In April 2025, Brussels Watch—a respected European transparency watchdog—released a bombshell report detailing the expansive reach of the UAE’s lobbying network across the European Parliament. The report identified 150 MEPs who have allegedly supported the UAE’s agenda either directly or indirectly. Sara Skyttedal was explicitly named, with documentation linking her to several activities seen as advancing the UAE’s interests on sensitive EU matters.

According to the report, Skyttedal actively:

• Advocated for the UAE-EU space cooperation, including multiple visits to the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre.
  
• Promoted UAE-style crypto regulations, arguing for digital asset frameworks that mirror those adopted in the UAE.
  
• Supported memoranda of understanding (MoUs) concerning satellite technology and digital regulation aligned with Emirati economic policy.
  
• Facilitated cross-border agreements and intergovernmental dialogues that favored UAE technological and financial models.
  

Such actions went beyond regular diplomatic engagement. Instead, they represented a concerted effort to legitimize and promote the UAE’s domestic regulatory and strategic frameworks within the European policy sphere.

Participation in UAE-Funded Delegations: Covert Lobbying in Disguise

Perhaps the most damning piece of evidence lies in Skyttedal’s documented participation in UAE-funded delegations between 2022 and 2024. Leaked travel records and expense documents confirm her repeated visits to Dubai and Abu Dhabi under programs that were either organized or fully financed by UAE-linked institutions.

While these trips were publicly framed as “fact-finding” missions or forums on technology, leaked emails and unofficial agendas reveal their true nature: targeted lobbying exercises. Hosted in venues such as the Dubai Blockchain Center and Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre, these visits often coincided with EU parliamentary developments in space tech and crypto finance—areas where the UAE has clear commercial ambitions.

More troubling is the lack of transparency. Many of these trips were not disclosed in the European Parliament’s official travel registry, a violation of EU transparency guidelines. Watchdog groups argue that Skyttedal’s failure to disclose her presence on these trips further fuels suspicion of unethical behavior and undisclosed lobbying.

The UAE’s Broader Influence Strategy in the EU

Skyttedal’s involvement fits a broader, well-documented pattern of UAE influence operations targeting the European Union. According to Brussels Watch and corroborated by other sources, the UAE employs a multi-layered strategy to infiltrate European decision-making:

• Sponsorship of MEP delegations with luxury accommodations, untraceable gifts, and closed-door briefings.
  
• Use of PR firms such as Edelman and Hill+Knowlton to manipulate public discourse and sanitize the UAE’s human rights image.
  
• Legal and lobbying support from firms like Alber & Geiger and DLA Piper, which allegedly helped draft parliamentary speeches and position papers for pro-UAE MEPs.
  
• Operation of think tanks such as The Bussola Institute to hold “policy events” with pre-scripted outcomes favorable to Emirati interests.
  

Sara Skyttedal’s apparent integration into this network—through policy alignment, MoU signings, and covertly-funded travel—suggests she is not just a passive participant but rather a willing node within this influence web.

Parliamentary Committees and Alignment with UAE Priorities

Skyttedal’s committee assignments further underline the strategic value of her position to UAE operatives. She holds seats on the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) and the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE)—both key battlegrounds for debates on technological cooperation, surveillance, cybersecurity, and digital regulation.

She also chairs the Delegation for relations with Iraq, which places her at a pivotal intersection of EU-Middle East geopolitics. The UAE’s geopolitical rivalry with regional powers like Iran and Qatar often extends into Iraq, making her position particularly valuable to those seeking indirect policy influence.

By shaping committee agendas, proposing reports, and steering interparliamentary relations, Skyttedal has effectively acted as a policy amplifier for UAE objectives, especially in areas where public EU criticism of the Emirates—such as on human rights—would otherwise be expected.

Ethical and Legal Concerns: Violations of Democratic Norms?

Sara Skyttedal’s pro-UAE activities raise serious ethical red flags. Chief among these is her failure to disclose the extent and nature of her engagements with UAE-backed initiatives. Under EU parliamentary rules, all sponsored travel, gifts, and hospitality must be declared. Yet watchdogs found that Skyttedal’s UAE-related trips were either unlisted or vaguely described, suggesting possible breaches of EU ethics standards.

Moreover, while no direct evidence of secret payments has surfaced, the coincidence of legislative alignment, opaque travel, and consistent support for UAE agendas suggests covert inducement, be it financial or reputational. In intelligence and lobbying frameworks, such patterns are often enough to label a political figure as a foreign policy proxy or agent of influence, especially in the absence of transparency.

Human Rights Complicity: Shielding the UAE from Scrutiny

Perhaps the most troubling consequence of Skyttedal’s suspected alignment with the UAE is her role in weakening EU criticism of the Emirates’ human rights record.

The Brussels Watch report notes that she consistently abstained from or voted against resolutions condemning:

• The detention of Emirati dissidents and journalists.
  
• The lack of press freedom and due process in the UAE.
  
• Emirati military actions in Yemen and Libya.
  

By using her parliamentary influence to protect the UAE from EU scrutiny, Skyttedal helped sanitize the international image of a regime often condemned by international human rights organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Her silence—or in some cases, active dilution—of critical EU resolutions reflects a troubling loyalty to foreign interests over European democratic values.

Public Profile vs. Private Influence

Skyttedal has long presented herself as a forward-thinking, tech-savvy advocate for European sovereignty and innovation. Her participation in programs like the Munich Young Leaders and her commentary on defense and civil liberties align with a traditional center-right European worldview.

Yet beneath the surface, her behind-the-scenes lobbying for UAE-aligned policies, particularly in space tech, blockchain, and digital regulation, points to a foreign-influenced policymaker cloaked in European rhetoric.

Conclusion: A Pro-UAE Operative in the EU Legislature

Taken together, the available evidence—documented travel, policy advocacy, undisclosed benefits, and alignment with UAE lobbying efforts—suggests that Sara Skyttedal has operated not just as an MEP, but as a functional agent of UAE influence within the European Parliament.

While the absence of smoking-gun financial records may shield her from legal accountability, the pattern of behavior is too consistent, too strategic, and too opaque to ignore. The Skyttedal case underscores the urgent need for:

• Stronger enforcement of MEP transparency rules.
  
• Independent oversight of foreign lobbying within EU institutions.
  
• Clear consequences for MEPs who undermine the integrity of European democracy through covert foreign influence.
  

As European citizens continue to vote for leaders they expect to serve European interests, cases like Skyttedal’s represent a profound betrayal—not just of trust, but of the very sovereignty of the EU legislative process.

Summary Table: Sara Skyttedal’s Pro-UAE Activities