EU Delegation to New Zealand Newsletter

EU Delegation to New Zealand Newsletter

Catherine Ashton met Iran's top nuclear negotiator

Catherine Ashton, EU foreign policy chief, met on May 15 Iran's top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili for the first time since discussions between Iran and six major powers - the US, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany - in April over Tehran's controversial nuclear ambitions. EU HR Ashton said the talks were "useful", while Jalili described talks as "fruitful", and both sides decided to continue the discussions. A separate set of talks held Wednesday in Vienna between Iranian officials and the UN atomic agency ended without a deal. Read more

EU-led donor conference agreed on May 15 to provide €3.25 billion for Mali

International partners pledged a total of €3.25 billion in support of Mali development plan. Participants at the High-level Conference on Support and Development of Mali included the Malian President Dioncounda Traoré, Heads of State and Ministers from African and European countries, as well as representatives from multilateral institutions.

The funds will contribute to Mali’s sustainable recovery plan, which aims to restore the country’s territorial integrity and promote peace, security and reconciliation, paving the way for inclusive growth and long-term development. A portion of the EU donations will be used for United Nations' humanitarian and peacekeeping operations. The overall cost of the Recovery Plan is €4.3 billion.

The aid is coming as part of broader efforts to stabilise a West African region that has endured repeated food crises, political instability and armed conflicts. Read more and UNDP

EU Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM) in Libya

The Council of the European Union gave on May 22 the green light for EUBAM Libya, which has the objective to support the Libyan authorities to develop capacity for enhancing the security of their land, sea and air borders in the short term, and to develop a broader Integrated Border Management (IBM) strategy in the long term. These efforts will contribute to state-consolidation, economic development, and the fight against organised crime and terrorism in the country and the wider region.

A new Head of EU Delegation in Libya, Nataliya Apostolova, has been appointed by Catherine Ashton on May 21. Read more

Commission proposes to open negotiations for an investment agreement with China

The European Commission decided to ask the Member States for their agreement on a mandate to open negotiations on an investment agreement with China. “An EU-China investment agreement will help deepen our ties and sends the signal that we are firmly committed to building a strong partnership”, said EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht.

“The agreement needs to secure existing openness and deliver new liberalisation of the conditions for accessing each other’s investment market. Crucially, it should also improve the treatment of investors and their assets – including key technologies and intellectual property rights,” De Gucht said.

The negotiating directives for the EU-China investment negotiations will now be submitted to the Council, whose green light is needed for the Commission to start negotiations. Read more Cultural diversity and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

The EU and the US are about to enter into negotiations towards an ambitious trade and investment agreement that would shape the future economic relationship between the world's two most important economic powers. On both sides of the Atlantic it has the potential to give and send a strong signal of leadership at a time of rapid changes in the world economy. Achieving this agreement is a very high priority for the EU. However the EU and its Member States are keen to preserve and promote cultural diversity. There are sensitive issues and the audiovisual sector is particularly concerned. Read more

ASEM custom cooperation experts meet to boost trade

European and Asian representatives met in Prague on May 15-17 to discuss ways of enhancing customs cooperation between the two regions. With trade between the EU and Asian ASEM countries valued at almost 900 billion euros a year, agreement on more efficient customs procedures and greater transparency in the sector is important. Customs cooperation is therefore a key issue within ASEM.

European and Asian customs authorities are working to connect and share best practices to enable more efficient procedures, thereby ensuring the timely release of cargo and increasing predictability and transparency of trade. Read more

The International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia

On the occasion of the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia, EU HR Catherine Ashton has reaffirmed on behalf of the European Union the EU's commitment to equality and non–discrimination. Ashton highlighted the work that the EU does for the respect of human rights, irrespective of sexual orientation and gender identity. Through the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights, the EU supports Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) human rights defenders across the world. Read more

Alliance Française organises "Soirée St Exupéry"

Friday 7 June, the Alliance Francaise will organise in Wellington a "Table Ronde" to explore the life of writer, poet, pioneering aviator and author of the famous book “Le petit prince”. The event will start at 6pm.

For further information: http://french.co.nz/table-ronde-saint-exupery/

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