Von der Leyen in Australia from Monday, settlement nearer | EUROtoday

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BRUSSELS – Positive indicators are multiplying on the potential of a commerce settlement with Australia, which has been the topic of heated negotiations between Brussels and Canberra for years. The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will journey to the nation from 23 to 25 March, within the hope of closing the chapters nonetheless open, and signing a brand new settlement in response to the prevailing protectionism pushed by American and Chinese selections.

The announcement of the journey got here yesterday morning from a neighborhood spokesperson. According to the assertion, the goal of the go to is to “strengthen the European Union’s ties with a reliable and like-minded partner in the Indo-Pacific region, which is of vital strategic importance”. There are three agreements at stake: the primary business, the second security, and the third linked to the exploitation of uncooked supplies. Australia is amongst different issues the world’s largest producer of lithium.

Here in Brussels there’s cautious optimism concerning the chance that the journey will permit Mrs von der Leyen to conclude the settlement. Some points nonetheless must be resolved, nevertheless. The warning is dictated by the truth that nobody within the European Commission has forgotten what occurred in 2023, when the negotiations got here to an abrupt finish – by Canberra’s alternative, in response to Brussels. Today as yesterday, among the many delicate matters are the quotas of meat imported from Australia.

In these negotiations, Canberra is asking for extra room for maneuver within the agricultural subject. The European Union as a substitute insisted on a discount in tariffs on manufacturing merchandise, significantly vehicles, and higher entry to Australia’s strategic minerals, with the intention to scale back dependence on China. The two sides started negotiations in 2018. During the go to, President von der Leyen may also meet Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Speaking to SkyNews on Tuesday, Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell defined: “I think there are ways to overcome the outstanding issues and I’m confident that if there is good will from us and also from the Europeans, we will be able to announce a deal with the European Union in the near future.” In this case, he stated, we will already say that the settlement “was difficult to obtain”. Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic may also be current in Canberra subsequent week.