TRADE: Commission reports on latest negotiating rounds with Indonesia and New Zealand

The Commission today published two reports summarising the progress made during the latest negotiating rounds for the EU-Indonesia and EU-New Zealand trade agreements.

Both sets of talks were held in a constructive atmosphere. The sixth round of negotiations for an EU-Indonesia free trade agreement took place from 15 to 19 October in Palembang, Indonesia. Negotiators made good progress across the board, particularly on the chapters on customs and trade facilitation, rules related to trade in food, animal and plant products, technical barriers to trade, as well as questions related to sustainable development. The next round is planned for 11 to 15 March in Brussels. The second round of negotiations for an EU-New Zealand free trade agreement took place in Wellington, New Zealand from 8 to 12 October. The discussions allowed for gaps to be bridged between both sides’ positions in a number of areas. They also allowed for follow up actions to be clearly identified, which each side has to complete ahead of the third negotiating round, scheduled to take place in Brussels in February. The reports published today provide an overview of the state of discussions in each area.