Brussels, 30/07/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 30 July, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton and New Zealand's Foreign Minister Murray McCully announced the conclusion of talks for a partnership agreement on relations and cooperation (PARC) between the EU and New Zealand. The two parties will now finalise the remaining technical and legal work “expeditiously” so that the PARC can be formally initialled “as quickly as possible”.
At the end of March European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and New Zealand's Prime Minister John Key agreed to deepen their bilateral relations in all domains - including in the political and security sphere, science and innovation, and trade and investment, through this partnership agreement. The PARC is due to replace the joint declaration of 2007 which currently governs EU-New Zealand bilateral relations. (EH)