The trade talks between the EU and Australia have stalled. The talks between Brussels and Canberra were seen as a final attempt by the two to solve their differences. In a statement on Sunday, Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell said the two sides had not been able to make progress: "Negotiations will continue and I am hopeful that, one day, we will sign a deal that benefits both Australia and our European friends."
In July, Australia walked out of earlier talks as they said the EU's offer wouldn't give Australia's farm produce enough access. In response, Australia's trade minister said that if Brussels's offer was ‘not good enough’, they would walk away from the deal.
The collapse of talks between the EU and Australia comes just months after the trade deal between the UK and Australia went live. From May 31, British businesses were able to start selling to both Australia and New Zealand.
Farmers applaud Minister Farrell for standing firm
The National Farmers’ Federation has congratulated Trade Minister Don Farrell for turning down an EU trade offer that would have disadvantaged Australian farmers. NFF President David Jochinke said the Minister had made the right call for Australia: “Today’s decision was a hard one, but ultimately it was the right one. We thank Minister Farrell and Agriculture Minister Murray Watt for standing by Australian farmers and walking away from an unacceptable offer.”
“It’s disappointing the Europeans weren’t willing to put something commercially meaningful on the table. This was always going to be a tough negotiation with no guarantee of an outcome.“
Source: express.co.uk