EU-Australia trade deal in balance as endgame talks begin

The Australian side is pushing for greater access to the European market for its beef, mutton and sugar, while Brussels wants an end to the use of certain geographic locators on products such as prosecco and feta

Neither Canberra nor Brussels is completely convinced that a deal will be struck, although there is cautious optimism that it could finally happen.

The European Union and Australia are heading into a critical round of free trade talks, with both sides warning that a failure to strike a deal now could delay any potential agreement by months or even years.

EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis and Australia’s Trade Minister Don Farrell will meet in Osaka, Japan, following weekend Group of Seven talks. The two will try again to reach a free-trade accord — three months after Farrell walked out of the last negotiations in Brussels.