![EU-New Zealand free trade agreement – Strengthened ties between like-minded partners [International Agreements in Progress]](https://i0.wp.com/epthinktank.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/EPRS-Briefing-733622-EU-New-Zealand-free-trade-agreement-V2-FINAL.png?fit=1000%2C667&ssl=1)
Written by Angelos Delivorias.
On 30 June 2022, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and then New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the conclusion of negotiations on a comprehensive EU-New Zealand free trade agreement (FTA). The agreement was signed on 9 July 2023. Although the 2014-2019 Commission had initially aimed to finalise negotiations before the end of its mandate, both sides raised several sensitive issues during negotiations, not least because New Zealand is a major and competitive producer and exporter of agricultural goods. The EU committed to taking European agricultural sensitivities fully into consideration in its negotiating strategy. New Zealand, for its part, said it aimed to secure ‘commercially meaningful access’ to the EU market for its agricultural exports.
In addition to facilitating trade and investment flows between the parties, the FTA would create a level playing field for the EU with other trading partners that have already concluded FTAs with New Zealand. The FTA would also strengthen the EU’s position in Asia-Pacific value chains, and help to advance the trade policy interests of the EU in the region. The FTA is the EU’s first to include commitments, subject to sanctions if not upheld, to the Paris Agreement and to core International Labour Organization standards.
Parliament gave its consent to the proposed agreement in its plenary session on 22 November 2023. Following Parliament’s approval, the Council adopted a decision on the conclusion of the FTA. Once New Zealand also completes its legal requirements and procedures, the agreement will enter into force, probably in early 2024.
| Free trade agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and New Zealand, of the other part | ||
| Committee responsible: | International Trade (INTA) | 2023/0038(NLE) 2023/0038M(NLE) |
| Rapporteur: | Daniel Caspary (EPP, Germany) | |
Read the complete briefing on ‘EU-New Zealand free trade agreement – Strengthened ties between like-minded partners‘ on the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.
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