Brussels, 17/02/2023 (Agence Europe) – The European Commission sent the EU-New Zealand free trade agreement to the EU Council for signature on Friday 17 February. It had concluded negotiations on 30 June 2022 (see EUROPE 12983/5). In the meantime, the text could be revised and translated in order to proceed with the rest of the procedure.
Once the EU Council has signed the agreement, the EU and New Zealand will be able to do so and the agreement can be submitted to the European Parliament for ratification. It has already expressed a positive opinion on this agreement (see EUROPE 12992/24).The EU Council is not expected to sign for a few months, while the Member States examine the text of the agreement. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)