WELLINGTON, 7 February 2016 - Trade Minister Todd McClay leaves for Europe this weekend for introductory meetings with counterparts in the EU and certain Member States, with a focus on progressing a European Union-New Zealand free trade agreement (EU-NZ FTA).

In the Hague, Mr McClay will discuss the trade and economic priorities of the Netherlands as it takes on the EU Presidency for the first half of 2016, and will continue to advocate for the launch of EU-NZ FTA negotiations. Mr McClay will then travel to Stockholm to meet with the Minister for Enterprise and Innovation, Mikael Damberg.

“Both Sweden and the Netherlands are natural partners for New Zealand within the EU. I look forward to meeting with Ministers and business representatives to continue to build the case for an EU-NZ FTA,” says Mr McClay.

The Minister will conclude his trip in Brussels, where he will meet with a number of European Commissioners, including Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström, and representatives of the European Parliament.

“This bilateral visit to Europe, my first as Trade Minister, is an opportunity to strengthen New Zealand’s important relationship with the European Union, building on the successful conclusion of the EU-NZ Partnership Agreement on Relations and Cooperation (PARC) and taking forward the decision by the Prime Minster and EU Presidents in 2015 to proceed towards the launch of FTA negotiations.”

The EU is New Zealand’s third-largest trading partner, with two-way trade totalling over $19 billion. In addition to being our second-largest source of foreign direct investment, it is also our largest research and development partner.

On 29 October 2015, Prime Minister John Key, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, and European Council President Donald Tusk agreed to start discussions on a comprehensive EU-NZ FTA. A call for public submissions was launched by Minister McClay on 16 December 2015 and will close on 29 February 2016.

On his way to Europe, Mr McClay will stop in Dubai, where he will meet with the Minister of Economy of the United Arab Emirates, Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri, and representatives from both local and New Zealand businesses.

“I will also be meeting with the CEO and Chair of Emirates to celebrate the airline’s decision to fly directly between Dubai and Auckland.

“The United Arab Emirates is our tenth-largest trading partner, and this visit will allow me to build on our increasingly important trade and economic relationship,” says Mr McClay.