Negotiations between the EU and Australia, which were scheduled to take place on Monday 30 October and culminate in the finalisation of the free trade deal, collapsed less than 24 hours before the official meeting. This came as a surprise, even a shock, according to a senior European official, who was adamant that the EU was not expecting such an announcement from Australia.
Despite the optimism displayed a few days earlier (see EUROPE B13280A7), the two parties failed to find common...