Over the past two days the EABC has been engaged in talks in Osaka with the respective EU-Australia FTA negotiating teams, led by European Commission EVP and Trade Commissioner @Valdis Dombrovskis and Australian Trade and Tourism Minister and Special Minister of State Senator Don Farrell.
Describing the latest developments as “a potentially disastrous setback”, EABC CEO Jason Collins has called for the leadership of the European Commission and the Australian Government to give the highest priority to delivering a successful outcome.
Official talks scheduled for today have been abandoned without getting into the starting blocks for the end-game negotiations.
The window for concluding a deal under the current von der Leyen Commission is rapidly closing. The EABC reiterates the calls made in our joint statement with BusinessEurope earlier this month:
“To fully realise the immense potential of this agreement, it is imperative that political leaders demonstrate leadership and resolve in concluding the negotiations. We urge them to prioritise the swift resolution of any outstanding issues and show flexibility in reaching a balanced and comprehensive agreement.
Let us seize this historic opportunity to deepen our economic partnership for the benefit of business and our regions.”
Read today’s full statement below and our joint statement with BusinessEurope here 👉 https://lnkd.in/ezN94ruZ
Discussion about this post