In exclusive comments to Euronews, the Australian government has responded to European Parliament President Robert Mestola’s hint that Australia and New Zealand could also be invited to be “associate members” of the European Union.
While the Australian government spokesperson stressed that the country’s relationship with the EU has “never been stronger or more important”, they 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.”
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.
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.