EU trade deal in doubt as fresh talks fail to break deadlock

The lucrative Australia-EU trade deal remains in jeopardy after another round of high-level negotiations failed to deliver a breakthrough. Trade Minister Don Farrell emerged from the latest talks in Brussels with no agreement on a free trade deal to open up access for Australian producers to the European market. Further talks are scheduled for August in the hope of finally ending the five-year-long process. The deal’s fate hangs in the balance, with the Federal Government prepared to walk away unless it can secure better terms for agricultural products. One of the most significant sticking points is the EU’s fight to protect naming rights to foods such as prosecco, parmesan and feta. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia wanted a better offer on beef and sheep meat, as he reiterated the Federal Government wouldn’t sign up to a free-trade agreement “for the sake of it”. “What we want is a good deal for Australia, and we’ll continue to do that,” he said. Mr Albanese commented after meeting with French president Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Lithuania. France is among the European nations concerned about the deal. A free trade deal with Europe would unlock a market with 445 million people and a GDP of $24 trillion. Senator Farrell — who made his third trip to Brussels this week in the past six months — was hopeful a deal could eventually be struck. “My job as Australia’s trade minister is to get the best deal that we can for our producers, our businesses, our winemakers,” he said. “We’ll continue constructive discussions with the Europeans with the ultimate aim of reaching an agreement.”