Business Council Public Hearing Appearance – FTA Negotiation Inquiry, 20 October

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Following the Free Trade Agreement submission made by the German Australian Business Council, we have been invited by the Joint Standing Committee on Trade and Investment Growth to appear at a public hearing in Parliament House, Canberra regarding their inquiry into the Australian Government’s approach to negotiating trade and investment agreements.

The public hearing will be broadcast on the Parliament House website (link below). Individuals can listen to the public hearing by clicking on the relevant link on the website. A recording of the public hearing will also be uploaded to the website.

Date: Friday, 20 October 2023

Time: 3:10 to 3:50pm AEDT / 6:10 to 6:50am CEST

Link: Watch, Read, Listen – Parliament of Australia (aph.gov.au)

Representing the Business Council at the public hearing are board members: The Hon. André Haermeyer, Dr Robert Harrison, Elisabeth Opie and Dr Sabine Pittrof.

If you are interested, please feel free to click on the link and follow the hearing.

European Union aiming to conclude Australia Free-Trade Deal by Summer

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Bloomer is reporting that the EU is planning to conclude the free trade deal by Summer 2023 with further discussions happening in April 2023.

Apparently, the issues that still need to be agreed upon include the protection of the geographical indication of food, such as cheese, and wine, as well as data and privacy issues. An agreement on European market access for Australian meat and dairy products is also still to be finalised, as well as further progress on opening up public procurement markets.

The agreement will also include chapters on climate goals and labour standards with sanctions available should the principles of the Paris climate accords and the International Labour Organisation standards be breached.

At the German Australian Business Council, we have been active with our European partners in the ABIE network in supporting the con