Last week, O Connor said New Zealand and the UK had agreed to rapidly lift the tempo of their FTA talks off the back of a fourth round of negotiations. The bones of the agreement were agreed to, but O Connor said he had emphasised to UK Secretary of State for International Trade Liz Truss that there is still significant work to do on market access outcomes, particularly for agriculture.
He said on Thursday that he has recently had constructive calls and virtual engagements with his UK and EU counterparts. Virtual engagements are useful, but to make significant further progress in both negotiations before the European summer, I am visiting the capitals in person to reinforce New Zealand’s expectations and give these talks every chance of success.
Palm oil challenges in the West: EU ambassador insists sustainability is non-negotiable for consumers Consumers in the EU are ‘demanding sustainability’ when it comes to palm oil and related food products, according to an EU ambassador, fanning the flames of ongoing strife with palm oil producing countries in the ASEAN region.
The European Union (EU) and palm oil producing countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia have been at loggerheads for some years now over continuing opposition by the EU to palm oil, citing claims of unsustainability which have been vehemently protested by the producers.
More recently, this debate has been centred around the EU’s controversial Farm-to-Fork (F2F) strategy, which combines both regulatory and non-regulatory initiatives in an attempt to improve its overall food chain, but which many have said also unfairly targets produce and food products manufactured outside of the EU.
UK, India seek to double trade
WIN-WIN TRADE: Seeking new trading partners, the UK announced ￡1 billion of extra trade with India, which the British government said would create 6,500 new jobs
Bloomberg
The UK and India said they want to double their trade by 2030, ahead of a virtual meeting between British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday.
Seeking new trading partners after leaving the EU, the British government revealed the ambition along with an announcement of ￡1 billion (US$1.4 billion) of extra trade with India, which it said would create 6,500 British jobs.
“Like every aspect of the UK-India relationship, the economic links between our countries make our people stronger and safer,” Johnson said in a statement.