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- This Joint Press Statement follows the inaugural meeting of the Trade Committee under the European Union-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (‘FTA’) between the Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security of the European Union and the Minister for Trade and Investment of New Zealand in New Zealand on 25 October 2025.
- The Ministers agreed to work together to strengthen the role that free trade plays in increasing prosperity and reinforcing resilience against economic turbulence. This includes strengthening cooperation under the FTA and working with partners to defend the rules-based trading system, including through collaborating on the European Union and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership Dialogue.
- At their meeting, the Ministers celebrated the positive developments of the trading relationship between the European Union and New Zealand, which saw an 8% increase, reaching a record $21.6bn1 of annual trade in goods and services since the Agreement entered into force or €7.9bn2 of two-way trade in goods.
(1. Stats NZ data for two way trade for year ending June 2025 NZD $21.582 billion, an increase of 8% on year ending June 2024 NZD $19.913 billion; 2. EUROStat data for the first year of FTA implementation (May 2024-Apr 2025).
- The Ministers confirmed their commitment to the principles and objectives set forth in the FTA and noted the establishment of the respective Domestic Advisory Groups, agreed the operational guidelines for the Civil Society Forum, acknowledged the progress made on the appointment of arbitrators for the dispute settlement processes of the FTA and recognised the importance of new areas of cooperation such as Māori trade and Sustainable Food Systems.
- New Zealand and the European Union are committed to ensuring strong protection of labour rights, and to promoting the development of international trade in a way that is conducive to decent work for all. Accordingly, New Zealand and the European Union amended the FTA to further reflect this.
- The European Union and New Zealand share the objective of combatting global deforestation and forest degradation, including through promoting more sustainable trade. Recognising that New Zealand’s agriculture and forest production systems support sustainability outcomes consistent with this objective, the European Union and New Zealand are committed to working together to avoid undue impacts on New Zealand producers, exporters, and trade from the implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation. The European Union and New Zealand will also work to enhance understanding of our respective production systems and deepen our collaboration on trade and forests-related issues.
- The European Union and New Zealand agreed to hold environmental policy exchanges and maintain engagement on the implementation of trade-related aspects of EU circular economy and wider environmental regulation.
- At the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the Paris Agreement, the European Union and New Zealand reaffirm their firm commitment to its principles, objectives and its global temperature goal, while also expressing support to the incoming Presidency of the 30th Conference of the Parties and committing to successful negotiations in Belem. The Ministers also underlined the relevant role that trade plays in supporting decarbonisation and took note of the constructive exchanges on trade and sustainable development, including at the second High-Level Dialogue on Climate in September.
- Ministers reaffirmed the importance of the rules-based multilateral trading system for stability and predictability, with the WTO at its core and discussed their ongoing commitment to strengthen multilateral institutions. They agreed to pursue a deep reform of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to improve its effectiveness and ability to address the current challenges. They agreed to deepen joint cooperation in this space, including in preparation for the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC14). They reaffirmed their commitment to finding a way forward in order to conclude negotiations on “Additional Provisions” to the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement. They reaffirmed their support to pursuing a lasting solution on the moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions at MC14. They further expressed support for the incorporation of the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement and the Agreement on Electronic Commerce into the WTO framework.
- New Zealand and the European Union committed to cooperating on addressing non-tariff barriers (NTBs). They recognised that the Mutual Recognition Agreement and the annex on Medicinal Products of the FTA continues to be highly valued by industry and regulators.
- The Ministers confirmed New Zealand and the European Union’s dedication to ensuring a global, sustainable, responsible, and resilient supply of critical materials and minerals. The partners will collaborate through the FTA and in other forums to achieve this. Collaboration may focus on participation in the European Union’s strategic projects initiative that secures access to critical material and mineral supplies necessary for industry and accelerating the energy transition to net zero, and on contributing to the development of New Zealand's critical materials and minerals sector, including in sustainable recycling and refining technologies.
- The Ministers welcomed future cooperation on digital technologies, including through work on Digital Identity and cross-border use of digital credentials.
- The Ministers welcomed the first ever EU-New Zealand Business Summit held on 24 October, bringing together nearly 500 business and political representatives and leaders from both sides, to leverage the new opportunities offered by the FTA.
- They agreed to continue working together on the successful implementation of the FTA and agreed to hold the next meeting of the Trade Committee in the second half of 2026, in Brussels.
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