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- Australia
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A deal for economic security, resilience and diversification
- New opportunities for companies, consumers and farmers in one of the world’s fastest-growing developed economies.
- Increased resilience against economic shocks and cementing ties with a like-minded ally at a time of intense geopolitical stress.
- Stronger supply chains, especially for critical raw materials.
- Deeper relations with the Indo-Pacific and a stronger European position in the world.
Key facts about trade with Australia
- Australia has a GDP of €1.7 trillion, making it the 14th largest economy in the world.
- Belgian exports: €2,688 million (goods: €2,229 million, 2025 data; services: €459 million, 2024 data).
- Total investment between Belgium and Australia: €2,386 million (2024).
- Belgian jobs supported by Belgian and EU exports to Australia: 12,477 (2023).
New opportunities for Belgian businesses big and small
Small and medium-sized enterprises represent the vast majority of EU exporters, and they are expected to be among the key beneficiaries of this agreement.
- 198 companies from Belgium currently export to Australia – and this is poised to increase, thanks to this deal and to the new opportunities it creates.
- By eliminating tariffs on most goods, it will reduce export costs and improve the competitiveness of businesses.
- Simplified customs procedures and clearer rules of origin will help reduce administrative burdens, which often weigh more heavily on smaller companies.
- EU investment flows into Australia are also expected to increase by over 87%.
- The free trade agreement will facilitate the movement of highly skilled professionals in entering the other party to supply services and set up and run investments. This is particularly important as services represent a large share of EU exports.
Lower tariffs, more exports- Belgium already exports €2,229 million per year in goods, including industrial products. Removing current Australian tariffs will enable EU businesses to save around €1 bn in customs duties per year.
- This will boost Belgian and EU exports, leading to a potential increase in EU goods exported to Australia of up to 33%.
Belgium's main exports of industrial goods to Australia will benefit from the elimination of tariffs on virtually all products.
| MOST EXPORTED PRODUCTS | Export value |
|---|---|
| Pharmaceutical products | €683 million |
| Machinery and mechanical appliances | €446 million |
| Optical and medical instruments | €165 million |
More agri-food exports while supporting Belgian farmers
- Belgium already exports €261 million in agri-food products.
- The deal will create new export opportunities for agri-food products from Belgium by eliminating tariffs.
| MOST EXPORTED PRODUCTS | Export values |
|---|---|
| Preparations of vegetables | €68 million |
| Preparations of cereals | €47 million |
| Cocoa and cocoa preparations (including chocolates) | €36 million |
- It will protect the full list of 231 EU spirits, and 165 of the most renowned EU food GIs. In addition, under the modernised Wine Agreement, all the EU wine GIs (representing over 1,600 names) will be protected, including around 50 new ones.
- The FTA includes the protection of authentic and high-quality Belgian products:
- Balegemse jenever
- Hasseltse jenever / Hasselt
- O' de Flander-Oost-Vlaamse Graanjenever
- Peket-Pekêt / Pèket-Pèkèt de Wallonie
- Genièvre / Jenever / Genever
- Genièvre aux fruits / Vruchtenjenever / Jenever met vruchten / Fruchtgenever
- Genièvre de grains / Graanjenever / Graangenever
- Jonge jenever / jonge genever
- Korn / Kornbrand
- Oude jenever / oude genever
Protecting Belgian farmers in case of market disturbances
While it opens new opportunities, the agreement also protects Europe’s farmers:
- It limits the amount of sensitive agri-food products (such as beef, sugar and dairy) that Australia can export to the EU with lower tariffs, subjecting some of them to sustainability conditions.
- The EU can impose reinforced safeguard measures in case of a surge in imports, including for the most sensitive agri-food products imported from Australia.
- No agri-food products from Australia can enter the EU if they do not respect all the EU’s high health and safety standards.
More diverse sources of critical raw materials
- Critical raw materials (CRMs) are indispensable for a wide set of strategic sectors, including the net-zero and digital industries, with demand for CRMs in these sectors expected to increase exponentially.
- Europe relies heavily on imports of CRMs, and thus there is a pressing need for the EU to make deals with reliable suppliers of these materials.
- Australia is a major supplier of these CRMs, including aluminium, lithium and manganese.
- The deal will lower or eliminate entirely bilateral tariffs on both critical raw materials themselves and products made from them, thus securing the EU’s access to Australian CRMs.
- Under the Free Trade Agreement, Australia and the EU have agreed to enhance cooperation on critical raw materials, including through the possibility of jointly financing projects.
Ambitious sustainability commitments
- Binding commitments to the Paris Climate Agreement and core labour standards.
- Dedicated trade and gender equality provisions.
- Dedicated article on trade and fossil fuel subsidies reform.
- Liberalising trade on an indicative list of green goods and services at entry into force (e.g. related to renewable energy, including wind turbine towers, solar panel elements and energy-efficient products).
- All sustainability commitments will be enforceable via the agreement’s general dispute settlement mechanism.