PRIME MINISTER



JOINT STATEMENT

WITH THE PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Prime Minister Julia Gillard and European Commission President JosÃÂ© Manuel  Barroso emphasised the new phase of closer cooperation between Australia and  the European Union (EU), during bilateral talks in Canberra on 5 September  2011.

Prime Minister Gillard and President Barroso underlined the shared values and  strong cultural, historical and people-to-people links between Australia and  Europe. They also noted the depth of the economic relationship, with EU  Member States as a group being Australia’s largest source of foreign investment  and EU companies creating some 500,000 jobs in Australia. They affirmed the  commitment of Australia and the EU to work together on major global challenges  and to cooperate in international forums such as the UN, the G20 and the World  Trade Organization (WTO).

They pledged to strengthen and position the Australia-EU partnership for the long  term. To that end, they looked forward to starting negotiations in the very near  future on a broad-ranging, treaty-level bilateral agreement, noting this would  provide an overarching framework for joint action in areas such as foreign and  security policy, development cooperation, trade and investment, climate change  and environment, research, science, innovation and education.



Prime Minister Gillard and President Barroso exchanged views on major  international developments, including the democratic transitions in North Africa  and the Middle East and economic trends in the Asia-Pacific region. They agreed  on the importance of supporting Libya in its democratic transition and economic

reconstruction, together with the international community.

They also exchanged views on the global economy, including recent  developments in financial markets, and reaffirmed their commitment to  strengthen economic cooperation in international fora. Looking towards the G20  summit in Cannes, they affirmed the importance of vigorously pursuing the G20’s  work to achieve strong, sustainable and balanced growth, strengthen the  international monetary system and continue financial regulatory reform, which will  contribute to addressing the causes of the current vulnerabilities and preventing  future crises.

They reaffirmed their strong commitment to free trade and investment and  opposition to protectionist trade actions. They agreed it was imperative to sustain  and advance economic reform and trade liberalisation, including through the  conclusion of the WTO Doha Round.

Prime Minister Gillard and President Barroso also stressed their joint  responsibility in addressing climate change, and the need for urgent action by the  international community to keep global average temperature increases below two  degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. They committed to working together  to promote an ambitious global regime to combat climate change through the  United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. They welcomed  each other’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, noting the  importance of market mechanisms to reducing carbon emissions at the lowest  possible cost and stimulating investment, competitiveness and innovation in  clean energy.

Noting the European Union has had an emissions trading scheme since 2005,  and the Australian Government plans to introduce a carbon price mechanism  from 1 July 2012, they agreed that both sides had a strong mutual interest in  working to expand and deepen global carbon markets. They agreed to establish  Senior Officials Talks to exchange experience on design and implementation and  to address cooperation on economy-to-economy measures, including the  conditions which would allow for linking of our emissions trading schemes at an  appropriate point in the future.

Prime Minister Gillard and President Barroso welcomed progress in the following  areas:

Building on the strong development cooperation relationship, Prime Minister  Gillard and President Barroso welcomed the establishment of delegated  cooperation arrangements for aid delivery and looked forward to the  implementation of this agreement in developing countries. Delivering programs  on each other’s behalf will enable AusAID and EuropeAid to capitalise on each  others’ expertise, including in the Pacific, Asia and Africa, and deliver significant  aid outcomes for developing countries. This demonstrates the convergence of  values and deep trust that unite Australia and the EU on development issues  and, more generally, in the wider international arena.

Noting the significant contribution both sides have made to nuclear safeguards,  they were pleased to sign a new agreement between Australia and the European  Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM), which will spur a further deepening of  cooperation in the areas of nuclear safeguards, security and safety.

They welcomed the entry into force of an agreement on the exchange of  classified information, as well as the progress towards an agreement on the  exchange of air passenger name record (PNR) data. These accords will allow for  even closer cooperation in combating terrorism and serious transnational crime,  in the full respect of individual human rights.

They welcomed increased cooperation in education, training and culture, which  would be reflected in the future Framework Agreement. To further deepen  educational links, Australia and the EU agreed to work together to develop joint  degree projects, which will bolster current work on projects to foster student

mobility. These projects will complement the ongoing EU-Australia policy  dialogue on education and training. Noting the importance of cultural exchange,  the EU was pleased to include Australia as a partner country for cultural  cooperation projects in its Culture Programme in 2013.

Australia and the EU will follow up on all these engagements through high-level  dialogue at the political and officials levels.

CANBERRA  5 SEPTEMBER 2011

PRESS OFFICE (02) 6277 7744



