07/07/2020 (Agence Europe) – The European Union and New Zealand decided on Tuesday 7 July to re-launch the EU-New Zealand human rights consultations. “At a time when democracy, human rights and the Rule of law are threatened around the world, the EU and New Zealand have agreed to step up their cooperation in defence of these shared values”, announced both sides in a joint statement issued by the European External Action Service. The senior official level meeting took place as a video conference and also provided, according to the declaration, an opportunity to take stock of the EU-New Zealand partnership and to identify key areas for enhanced cooperation in the next twelve months, although further details were not provided. Both sides also agreed on the importance of working together to address the Covid-19 pandemic and its socio-economic consequences. (CG)