The European Commissioner for Trade, Valdis Dombrovskis, is due to take part in the G7 Trade Summit being held from 27 to 30 October in Osaka, Japan.
On this occasion, he is due to meet his Australian counterpart, Don Farrell, whose presence at this gathering is a first. In particular, the two men will discuss the free trade agreement currently under discussion between the two parties, which has been open for more than 2 years (see EUROPE 12803/13). Originally, the EU said it wanted to conclude the negotiations by spring 2023 at the latest.
Despite numerous meetings between the negotiators (see EUROPE 13120/5, 13220/29), there are still important details to be settled.
This is particularly the case for geographical indications, which are a source of concern for the Australians, as well as the level of access to the European market (see EUROPE 13240/7). “The agreement will not be to the detriment of Australian interests”, warned Don Farrell in an interview with the Australian Associated Press a few days before the start of the summit.
On the European side, it is hoped that common concessions will be able to be reached that would not distort the agreement and its commercial and environmental ambitions.
However, both Australians and Europeans say they are confident that a consensus will be reached before the end of the year. (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)