On Thursday 31 August, EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis spoke remotely with Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell. The latter’s visit to Brussels in July failed to conclude negotiations on the EU-Australia free trade agreement (see EUROPE 13220/29).
While the exchange on 31 August was “very useful”, in the words of Mr Dombrovskis, it did not resolve the outstanding issues or set a date for the next meeting. “We agreed to intensify discussions to conclude the Free Trade Agreement in the coming months”, said the European Commissioner.
His interlocutor conveyed the same message as when he came to Brussels: Australia is not prepared to accept the EU’s current offer on access for Australian agricultural products to the European market.
In an interview with the Asia Society website published on 28 August, Don Farrell reiterated that he was looking for more balance in the agreement: “They [the Europeans] want us to make all these concessions. But EU protectionist policies in respect of agriculture make it very difficult for Australian businesses to be comfortable with the offers that are on the table at the moment”.
Both sides continue to express confidence in each other’s willingness to reach an agreement soon. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)