Brussels, 06/05/2002 (Agence Europe) - The Union and New Zealand held, on Monday in Madrid, a ministerial meeting essentially devoted to extending cooperation to new fields - still to be defined - as well as to traditional discussion on the "hot spots" of international news. The Troika, formed by European Commissioner Chris Patten, Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Piqué, EU Council President, and the High Representative of the Union, Javier Solana, thus tackled, with the New Zealand delegation headed by Mr Goff, the latest developments in the Middle East conflict, as well as Afghanistan, the Asia-Pacific region and the World Trade Organisation, including negotiations on the Doha agenda.
Among the subjects of disagreement, which mainly concern agriculture, Ministers were to briefly touch upon the last lap in negotiations on a bilateral agreement in the veterinary area (health certificates for New Zealand meat, taking stock of progress made and of the upcoming presentation of a proposal to the EU15's Standing Veterinary Committee, etc). They also planned to hold negotiations on wine, that are stumbling over New Zealand's request to export a natural sweet wine, for which the degree of alcohol exceeds the 15% generally allowed in the EU.
Furthermore, the partners were to confirm that their commitment was serious in this relationship which is doing well, and to express their determination to go further by extending their field of cooperation. New Zealand is mainly concerned by food safety, while Europeans seem to give preference to intensifying political dialogue, development aid, and the multilateral aspects (at the WTO, Doha Round, ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, etc.). Greater cooperation in research and scientific and technological development could present "interesting trading possibilities", it is felt in Brussels.