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| Relationship with EU 'needs work' | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Feb 15 2009, 12:35 PM (58 Views) | |
| Warren | Feb 15 2009, 12:35 PM Post #1 |
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Relationship with EU 'needs work' May 22, 2008 07:56am Article from: AAP AUSTRALIA needs to strengthen its trade relationship with the European Union (EU) and take it to a new level, Trade Minister Simon Crean said. The European Union is Australia's largest single trading partner, accounting for 17 per cent of total trade worth $75 billion. The trading relationship was very diversified, rich and growing, Mr Crean said. "What we need to do is to strengthen the nature of the bilateral relationship, put the relationship on a new footing," he told ABC radio today. Mr Crean said he did not believe the old relationship with the EU under the previous coalition government was that good and that view was backed by the Europeans. "The former (Howard) Government seemed to almost relish at times in the sort of attack on Europe for its restrictive agricultural policies," he said. "It is true we have had our disagreements with Europe on agricultural policy and that is an important issue to continue to resolve. "But it shouldn't have been ever the sum total of our relationship. It needs to go beyond it and that is what we are trying to do now." Mr Crean said he has been in regular contact with EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson in relation to the bilateral relationship, as well as working together to advance the Doha round of world trade talks. There was no better time than now, given high world food prices, to argue more strongly for more open markets, he said. "It is also true that Europe has made important reforms under its common agricultural policy and it's also true if we get a successful outcome in the Doha Round, Europe is going to have to make further concessions on the agricultural front." The Rudd Government was aiming to recalibrate the focus in trade policy, putting the main effort into the Doha Round. That could produce the biggest breakthroughs in opening up global trade, Mr Crean said. "The simple fact that over the last five-six years, without a conclusion in Doha, world trade has grown twice as fast as world output, given global economic uncertainty," he said. "We need to inject some certainty into the economic framework. If we can liberalise trade, that is an important part of that certainty." |
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6:22 AM Jul 12