EU official hails Australia trade deal as strategic move

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 25 Oct, 19:31 · Archive

A senior European Commission official says the EU's $10bn-a-year free-trade deal with Australia is strategically important beyond commercial benefit.

Stephane Sejourne, the European Commission's executive vice-president for prosperity and industrial strategy, has characterised the EU's free-trade deal with Australia as strategically important beyond its commercial value. Speaking in an exclusive interview, he said the $10bn-a-year agreement is about safeguarding Australian and European interests in a world shaped by the 'return of big powers'.

Sejourne, who formerly served in French President Emmanuel Macron's inner circle, oversees decisions affecting 450 million consumers and producers across Europe's $30 trillion single market. He described the Australia deal as 'a clear win-win' that 'sends a strong political signal to the rest of the world', saying that free-trade agreements serve as instruments for diversification and greater strategic autonomy.

The EU has also recently closed deals with India and the South American trading bloc MERCOSUR. Those two agreements alone cover almost 2.2 billion people and more than a quarter of world economic activity. Sejourne emphasised that such agreements reflect the bloc's support for a bold free-trade agenda amid US President Donald Trump's global tariff assault.

How it is being reported

• Top EU official says trade deal about ‘role of Australia in the world’A top-ranking EU official has explained why a $10bn-a-year deal with Brussels is about far more than just scrapping tariffs.The West Australian · 25 Oct, 19:02
• Top EU official says trade deal about ‘role of Australia in the world’A top-ranking EU official has explained why a $10bn-a-year deal with Brussels is about far more than just scrapping tariffs.Perth Now · 25 Oct, 19:02

In this story: Stephane Sejourne · European Commission · Australia · European Union · Emmanuel Macron · Donald Trump

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