Nevertheless, both the range of multilateral treaties, conventions and protocols signed by the EU and New Zealand on issues such as climate action and the fight against corruption or transnational organised crime, as well as the issues addressed in recent bilateral agreements, indicate that the scope of mutual interests, concerns and cooperation is widening. As a result, there are now sectoral dialogues involving officials from both sides on issues such as human rights and science and technology. In addition, the two sides also participate in the annual meetings of the ASEAN Regional Forum and the Asia-Europe Bi-Regional Meeting. The two sides also share a special interest in regional cooperation, sustainable development and stability in the South Pacific. The EU and New Zealand are major donors of development aid to the countries of the South Pacific. Together with Australia, they have been participating in trilateral consultations on development cooperation in the region since 2008. The two also work together in the framework of the EU-Pacific Islands Forum, in which climate change mitigation and adaptation issues have played an important role in recent years. A history of substantial flows of people, goods, capital, ideas and institutions connects the European Union (EU) and New Zealand. In October 2016, the comprehensive nature of bilateral relations was reaffirmed with the signing of a Partnership Agreement on Relations and Cooperation (PARC). This Treaty-level agreement will serve as a framework for future joint efforts in a number of areas and may also pave the way for a free trade agreement. While there are several reasons for a free trade agreement with New Zealand, the benefits of such an agreement for EU citizens/consumers must be clearly stated and public concerns taken into account when negotiating the free trade agreement. Beyond trade, there is considerable scope for close cooperation between the EU and New Zealand in areas such as research and innovation.

Given New Zealand`s status as a major maritime nation, particular attention should be paid to cooperation in maritime affairs, including and in all policy areas ranging from climate change to security policy. Lee-Makiyama, Hosuk (2015), New Zealand: the EU`s Asia-Pacific Partnership and the case for a next-generation free trade agreement, ECIPE Policy Brief No 07/2015, ecipe.org/publications/new-zealand-eus-fta/ (24 October 2016). In 2017, the EU and New Zealand concluded a Partnership Agreement containing a set of rules for economic and trade cooperation. The EU and New Zealand have also concluded a bilateral agreement on the mutual recognition of certain technical certificates. This will remove technical barriers, including evaluation procedures. Second, a free trade agreement with New Zealand would open up opportunities for additional market access and establish links with existing trade pacts. Not only is New Zealand linked to Australia by a common market system – the Closer Economic Relations Agreement (CERs), which is one of the few cases of deep regional integration in the world – but it has also concluded a number of comprehensive free trade agreements with partners such as China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), with which the EU has no free trade agreements. Due to its persistent, pragmatic, progressive and multilaterally coordinated approach to commercial diplomacy in recent decades, New Zealand is now entangled in a network of free trade agreements in the Asia-Pacific region (see Leslie 2015), making it an attractive potential partner for the EU.

A free trade agreement with New Zealand could provide additional micro-level opportunities for EU businesses in Oceania and East Asia, and could also provide a springboard at macro level for wider interregional trade cooperation. EEAS (European Union External Action Service) (2008), Political and Economic Relations with New Zealand, eeas.europa.eu/new_zealand/docs/political_economic_en.pdf (24 May 2015). Previously, in 2017, the EU and New Zealand concluded a Partnership Agreement containing a set of rules for economic and trade cooperation. In addition, New Zealand has been a member of the WTO since 1995. Formal preparations began in early 2016 with public consultation processes on both sides. The European Commission is preparing to negotiate free trade agreements with New Zealand and Australia, with New Zealand leading the way. According to the roadmap presented by the European Commission in early 2016, the Commission could ask the European Council for authorisation to start negotiations on a free trade agreement in the first half of 2017 (European Commission 2016b). The Commission`s preparations – impact assessment and scoping – for negotiations with New Zealand and Australia were not affected by the outcome of the referendum on leaving the EU in June 2016 in the UK. On the contrary, the spectre of Brexit has given trade officials the impetus to conclude and ratify the outstanding trade pacts as soon as possible. Given the rise of anti-globalisation sentiments (not only) in the EU, which almost destroyed the signing of an EU-Canada Trade Pact (CETA) in October 2016, the most important question these days is whether an EU-New Zealand free trade agreement will be saleable in all EU Member States, who must also accept the final agreement. Narlikar, Amrita and Johannes Plagemann (2016), Making the Most of Germany`s Strategic Partnerships: A Five-Point Proposal, GIGA Focus Global, 6, Hamburg: GIGA, www.giga-hamburg.de/en/publication/making-the-most-of-germanys-strategic-partnerships-a-five-point-proposal (27 October 2016). Over the past two decades, the EU has signed a large number of treaty agreements governing political and economic relations with partner countries in its neighbourhood and other regions of the world.

No EU partner country is further away than New Zealand – almost 19,000 kilometres and a journey time of more than 24 hours separate Brussels and Wellington. Despite the vast geographical space that separates the two sides, bilateral relations are quite dense and diverse. The EU and New Zealand have long-standing historical ties of a political, economic, social and cultural nature. Despite considerable local adaptation, the institutional legacy of British rule as well as recent institutional imports from Europe, such as a mixed electoral system based on the German model, are shaping New Zealand`s political system, while waves of migration from Europe have contributed significantly to New Zealand`s social and cultural fabric. Building on this history of significant flows of people, goods, capital, ideas and institutions, New Zealand and the EU are effectively moving towards a comprehensive partnership. In what follows, we take stock of the relationship, starting with a discussion on political and diplomatic relations, before moving on to trade, investment, tourism and migration flows. In this context, we also discuss the reasons for and prospects for a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA). In our conclusions, we highlight promising areas of future cooperation between the EU and New Zealand in the context of the UK`s planned withdrawal from the EU (Brexit). [1] Both the EU and New Zealand have expressed interest in negotiating a free trade agreement between the two countries.

[4] [5] The EU will decide in May 2018 to formally open trade negotiations. [6] Finally, the conclusion of a free trade agreement with the EU is one of New Zealand`s priorities. The second round of negotiations for this agreement took place on 8 August. It was held in Wellington in October 2018. While two elements of the “Holy Trinity” of modern EU agreements with other countries and regions – the aforementioned framework agreement on participation in EU crisis management operations and a comprehensive political agreement – now exist with New Zealand, the often-cited “resemblance” of the two sides has not yet been translated into a bilateral free trade agreement. Prior to Britain`s accession to the EEC in 1973, much of New Zealand`s trade was with the United Kingdom. In view of the phasing out of preferential trade relations with the United Kingdom, New Zealand has had to realign its trade relations […].