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In comments to Euronews, the Australian government has responded to European Parliament President Roberta Mestola’s hint that Australia and New Zealand could also be invited to be “associate members” of the European Union.
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While Australia’s relationship with the EU has “never been stronger or more important”, the spokesperson said Canberra is focusing on finalising the EU-Australia trade deal “which will bring us even closer together”.
“This once-in-a-generation deal gives our farmers, exporters, producers and businesses access to 27 EU countries and 450 million consumers,” the spokesperson said.
“Australia is a trading nation, and in a time of global uncertainty, deepening our trading partnerships makes economic sense.”
A spokesperson from the New Zealand government also clarified in comments to Reuters that “there have been no discussions with the EU about New Zealand becoming an associate member.”
It follows the news of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen opening the door to Canada to become an EU associate member at her landmark State of the European Union address in Strasbourg on Wednesday.
On top of this, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to meet European Council President António Costa and von der Leyen on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Monday in New York.
European Commission Deputy Chief Spokesperson Arianna Podestà said that the meeting would be a stocktaking exercise between Canberra and Brussels as the duo cooperate with “very closely” on matters such as trade.
When pressed as to whether the discussion would focus on EU associate membership, she said: “We will not be speculating about other countries” aside from the confirmed news of Canada’s invitation.
Negotiations on the EU-Australia trade deal were concluded last March. However, both sides still have to go through a ratification process, which might be troubled by farmers’ concerns on both sides over the meat quotas included in the agreement.
The deal sets quotas for sensitive products, including Australian beef (30,600 tonnes) and mutton/lamb (25,000 tonnes) per year.
But EU farmers complain that the quotas pile up with preferential access granted in other trade agreements, such as the Mercosur deal, while the Australian beef sector was seeking some 50,000 tonnes for its meat.
The deal has also faced significant pushback from the Australian opposition, with the Liberal-National Coalition calling on Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell to renegotiate.
Australia ranks as the world’s second-largest beef exporter after Brazil. Talks between Brussels and Canberra had previously broken down in 2023 over disagreements about agricultural quotas.
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