Australia and the European Union’s negotiations to conclude a free-trade agreement are at an impasse over Canberra’s concerns that the bloc is offering insufficient access to the nation’s agricultural exports.
Trade Minister Don Farrell, who arrived in Brussels this week for talks with EU counterpart Valdis Dombrovskis, is unhappy with the market entry offered by the EU for Australian beef, sheep and sugar. Farrell said he is prepared to walk away from the negotiations if the EU fails to improve its position.
“I will not go back to Australia with the offer that’s currently on the table,” Farrell said in a statement ahead of a second day of negotiations on Tuesday. Both Australia and the EU had said they wanted to see the FTA finalized by the end of the European summer, and negotiations had seemed to be nearing a conclusion.
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