The European Union was hoping to conclude its negotiations with Australia on the bilateral trade agreement during the several days that an Australian delegation was in Brussels. However, it had to abandon this ambition due to an inability, on Canberra’s side, to bring the negotiations to a successful conclusion. Australian Minister for Trade Don Farrell must first consult—in person—other ministers in his government on the offer proposed by the Europeans.
Recently, the European Commission had, in fact, presented proposals on various aspects of the future agreement, including tariff quotas on agricultural products, geographical indications, energy, raw materials, services, investments, and the movement of people.
Following his meetings with the European Commission, Don Farrell confirmed that an agreement at any cost was not possible. According to him, “Australia needs meaningful agricultural access to European markets.” However, the EU considers that it has already proposed major access.
“We regret it was not possible to conclude our talks with Australia this week,” indicated Miriam Garcia Ferrer, the European Commission’s spokesperson for trade, on Tuesday, 11 July. She went on to add, “We rely on our Australian partners to work with us to get this over the line soon. Our door remains open.”
The two parties plan to meet again in August, according to the Australian minister, who expressed that he hoped to finalise the agreement at that time. “I’m optimistic that with some goodwill, some hard work, some perseverance, we’re going to get there,” he declared. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)