EU Commissioner of Trade Cecilia Malmstrom welcomed the mandates adding that the deals with Australia and New Zealand would be "win-win" for both sides (AFP Photo/John THYS) |
The EU
officially launched free trade talks with Australia and New Zealand on Tuesday,
part of Europe's desire to promote free trade deals against the increasingly
protectionist stance of the United States.
The pursuit
of the deals also sends a challenge to Britain, which has made deepened links
with its Commonwealth partners a priority for its post-Brexit future.
"Today's
decision to open trade talks with Australia and New Zealand is... a reminder to
the world of the EU's commitment to openness, free trade and global
cooperation," said Emil Karanikolov, minister of economy of Bulgaria,
which holds the EU's rotating presidency.
The EU
underlined that the trade deals would put the emphasis on industrial and
manufacturing sectors, and not agriculture, with fears high in Europe that meat
and dairy products could pour in from the southern hemisphere.
New
Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (L) and French President Emmanuel
Macron arrive for a joint news conference at the Elysee Palace in Paris on
April 16, 2018 (AFP Photo/CHARLES PLATIAU)
|
"The
mandates do not envisage full liberalisation of trade in agricultural products,
which are foreseen as benefiting from specific treatment," an EU statement
said.
The EU's
top trade official Cecilia Malmstrom welcomed the mandates adding that the
deals would be "win-win" for both sides.
"Starting
these talks between likeminded partners sends a strong signal at a time where
many are taking the easy road of protectionism," she added.
The
decision to launch the talks was taken at a meeting where EU trade ministers
were also set to discuss the ongoing trade row over with the US administration.
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