ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the implementation of the so-called “virtual enlargement” strategy of two small Gulf States, namely Qatar and the United Arab Emirates vis-a-vis the European Union and its member states. In the globalized international system, the creation, formation and the constant reconstruction of a state’s image abroad is of crucial importance. Brand-building or national branding of a state can be conceptualized as an activity aimed at shaping the social recognition and the perceptions of the given state in the international system. The international focus in the region has always been devoted to Iran, Saudi Arabia or other core Arab States, such as Egypt, Iraq and Syria, therefore knowledge about the Gulf States has been limited. The Qatari investment policy is much more centralized institutionally than that of the United Arab Emirates. The National Association of Local Elected Representatives with an immigrant background visited Qatar and made a deal with the government in the project.
