Malmström and Parker launch NZ/EU Trade Deal

Thursday, 21 June 2018, 2:00 pm
Article: The Scoop Team

European Union Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmström and New Zealand's Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker held a joint press conference on Monday to mark the official launch of negotiations for an NZ/EU trade agreement.

The first round of formal negotiations will take place in Brussels in July, with many issues already identified and New Zealand aiming to conclude a deal "within a couple of years".

EU delegation press release

Topics discussed include New Zealand's shared values with Europe and the potential for a deal with mutual benefit and world-leading protections for labour and the environment, efforts to foster public appreciation for international trade, pharmaceutical patent terms, Zespri, protected geographical indicators, difficulties around agriculture and EU agricultural policy, post-Brexit EU tariff rate quotas, trusting each other's rule of law to deal with investment disputes, a brewing trade war between the United States and China, the state of multilateral trade, and the impending birth of NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's first child.

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