Renewed Australia-EU trade talks reflect a broader strategic realignment driven by shared efforts to strengthen supply chain resilience and hedge against growing global trade volatility. A probable deal would expand market access in agriculture and advanced manufacturing and boost critical minerals cooperation and defense industrial integration. From Feb. 12-13, Australia and the European Union moved the long-stalled Australia-EU Free Trade Agreement back into a self-described "endgame" phase after intensive ministerial-level talks in Brussels. Australia's Trade Minister Don Farrell traveled to Brussels to meet EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic and EU Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen. Both sides framed the meetings as a renewed attempt to close the remaining gaps that halted the deal in 2023. In a joint statement on Feb. 13, Sefcovic and Farrell said "good progress" had been made and that the two would now brief their leaders, typically a sign that negotiators believe the outstanding issues are few...
