CEOE International meets the Australian Chief Negotiator for the EU-Australia Free Trade Agreement

The meeting was attended by the Australian Embassy in Spain, the Secretary of State for Trade, the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, the Spain-Australia Council Foundation and the Exporters’ and Investors’ Club.

The meeting was well attended by companies and business organisations, who had the opportunity to set out their main interests and concerns to the chief negotiator.

The meeting, which was opened by the President of CEOE International, Marta Blanco, and closed by the International Director of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, Jaime Montalvo, was attended by the Australian Ambassador to Spain, Sophia McIntyre, the Deputy Director General for EU Trade Policy at the Secretariat of State for Trade, Álvaro Rodríguez, the President of the Exporters’ Club, Antonio Bonet, the Secretary General of the Spain-Australia Council Foundation, Ramón Moreno and, of course, the Australian Chief Negotiator, Alison Burrows.

They all agreed on the significant boost in business relations, in terms of both trade and investment, that Spain and Australia have experienced over the last decade and the optimistic future prospects in sectors such as infrastructure, defence and renewable energy, where Spanish companies have an increasing presence in Australia, as highlighted during the recent official visit to Australia by the Spanish Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto.

Moreover, as regards EU-Australia relations, emphasis was placed upon Australia’s importance as one of our key commercial partners and allies in the Indo-Pacific region and the need to reach an ambitious agreement making our economies more resilient and improving our economies. Hence the particular interest on the part of both sides in completing the negotiations before the end of next year, which would coincide with Spain’s presidency of the EU.

During the colloquium, some chapters of the agreement were addressed in greater detail, such as geographical indications, mobility of talent, elimination of tariffs and sanitary and phytosanitary restrictions and mutual recognition of standards, among other issues. So, too, were interest in education and financial services as areas to be borne in mind during the agreement negotiations; trade and sustainability issues; and the importance of SMEs being able to benefit from the agreement.