A free trade deal between Australia and the European Union is “still a fair way off” but the country remains hopeful a deal will be reached, Australia’s agriculture minister said.
In Rome meeting with European counterparts, Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said while beef was a major sticking point, there were also issues relating to sheep meat, sugar and dairy products.
“The offer the EU is making to Australia is just not good enough,” Watt said in an Australian Broadcasting Corp interview Sunday. Australia had pushed for a deal similar to ones the EU had forged with other nations, he said.
“Unfortunately the EU hasn’t been prepared to come to the party at the moment,” Watt told ABC, adding he remained “hopeful” that a deal will still be reached. “We don’t think we’re asking for anything unreasonable.”
Read more: Australia Says EU’s Offer on Free Trade Deal Isn’t ‘Good Enough’
Watt said he also met with his Chinese counterpart Tang Renjian, as ties between Australia and its biggest trading partner have gradually warmed since Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s election win last year. It was the first time agriculture ministers from the two countries have met since 2019, according to the government.
“Obviously our government has put a lot of work into stabilizing the relationship with China,” Watt said in the ABC interview.
China had introduced curbs on a range of Australian products in 2020 as hostilities between the countries escalated, but Beijing has since removed sanctions on certain items. During the meeting, Watt pushed China to lift remaining trade barriers, particularly on barley, wine, beef and rock lobster, the government said in a statement.
“I had a chance to put that case face-to-face with the Chinese agriculture minister and I feel that we got a good hearing,” Watt told ABC, adding he was hopeful there would be more developments to be announced “before too long” without specifying a time frame.
