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London: Talks between Australia and the EU on a trade deal will resume on Thursday after both sides failed to reach an agreement last month.
Trade Minister Don Farrell and EU’s Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis will resume discussions via video link after having agreed to reconvene in August following the deadlocked talks in July.
Trade Minister Don Farrell (left) with European Commissioner for Trade Valdis Dombrovskis in Brussels in June.Credit: Twitter
Farrell wants the EU to open its agricultural market to Australian farmers, a sensitive issue in Paris and Dublin. Ireland is worried it will lose its market share to Australia in the UK after the British agreed to eventually allow Australian beef and lamb to be exported in unlimited amounts.
This leaves Dombrovskis with little room to move, but Brussels wants access to Australia’s critical minerals to help reduce its dependencies on China as it transitions to net-zero.
Miriam Garcia-Ferrer, the EU’s Trade spokeswoman said it was hoped the talks would conclude in a deal soon.
“We have made progress on our FTA talks but more work is required to address key outstanding issues,” she said.
“At the last ministerial-level round of talks in July, there were several issues on which the Australian side required further internal consultations.
“We look forward to engaging with our Australian partners to conclude soon. As part of this ongoing effort, EVP Dombrovskis has agreed to speak with Minister Farrell over videoconference in order to hear from the Australian side on their internal consultations, which Minister Farrell indicated that he had to carry out after the conclusion of the last ministerial discussions in mid-July.”
Junior Trade Minister Tim Ayres met with his European counterpart in India at last week’s meeting of G20 trade ministers.
He said after that meeting that Europe would need to offer more in order for a deal to be agreed.
“The Jaipur G20 meeting was an opportunity for me to underscore that with my friends from the European Union and to canvass some of the issues in terms of the substance and the process for how we approach upcoming discussions,” he told CNBC.
“I’m very pleased with the progress that’s been made so far in those negotiations, but as Don Farrell made very clear in Brussels, we need to see improvements in the EU’s offer around market access for agriculture.”
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