欧盟与澳大利亚完成自由贸易协定谈判，签署安全与防务伙伴关系

Global – March 2026 On 24 March 2026, Australian Prime MinisterAnthony Albanese and European Commission(EC) President Ursula von der Leyenannounced the conclusion of negotiationsfor an Australia-EU free trade agreement •Investment liberalisation and capital movements – Streamlined investment in both directions, withimproved legal guarantees. In particular, the FTA providesfor preferential treatment in sectors such as mining,manufacturing, tourism, education, energy and resources.Subject to conditions, Australia investors should be treated •Merger control– Dedicated competition provisions toaddress mergers with Australian and EU implications, as •Energy and raw materials– Improved access for theEU to Australian energy and raw materials through theelimination of EU tariffs on Australian energy and resourceproducts including critical minerals, lithium hydroxide In addition to the FTA, Australia and the EU signed anAustralia-EU Security and Defence Partnership(SDP), which is now in operation. Taken together, the FTA and the SDP deepen both thecommercial and strategic relationships between the twoblocs. For exporters, investors, procurement bidders,regulated manufacturers, digital and professional serviceproviders, and defence businesses, the significance lies in thecombination of market-access commitments with wider rules •Subsidies and rules on state-owned enterprises andpublic procurement– Levelling the playing field and •Trade in services– Opening key sectors to eachother’s companies, including financial services and •Digital trade– Digital trade-specific provisions to facilitateonline business. Again, the emphasis is on improving legalguarantees and streamlining procedures, for example bypreventing the forced transfer of source code, supporting Content of the FTA The negotiated FTA is comprehensive. It includes,inter alia,commitments in the following areas: •Intellectual property(IP)– Improved IP protectionbetween both jurisdictions (e.g. patents, copyright, •Trade in goods– The FTA should eliminate tariffs on allnonagricultural goods, except ferro-silicon, tropical plywood,electric passenger vehicles, and goods vehicles, wheretariffs of up to 22% will be eliminated over three to fiveyears. This includes advanced manufacturing and otherindustrial goods (such as textiles, auto parts and wood),environmental goods (including but not limited to wind Other than the above, the FTA would also include generalprovisions to facilitate trade between the parties, e.g. inrelation to rules of origin, customs procedures, technicalbarriers to trade, sanitary and phytosanitary rules and other How We Can Help Road Ahead for the FTA Our teams in Brussels and Sydney are ideally placed to helpclients leverage the FTA to the fullest. The conclusion of negotiations is the first step in the process The FTA must now be presented to the Council of theEuropean Union (Council), i.e. the EU’s member states,which must approve its signature by qualified majority.Australia must also complete its required domestic stepsbefore signing the FTA, including obtaining approval from the From investment and trade opportunities to the optimisationof existing supply chains and the fulfilment of sustainability-related obligations, the FTA is an invitation to rethink Australia-EU operations. The technicality of the agreement and thecomplexities of its ratification mean that in-depth analysis may Once the FTA is signed, Australia and the EU will begin theirrespective ratification procedures. Contacts In Australia, the FTA and the Joint Standing Committee onTreaties’ recommendation on whether the FTA should bebinding will be tabled in both houses of Parliament. Afterthis and before the FTA can enter into force, any legislativechanges needed to implement the FTA domestically must Thomas DelillePartner, Brussels, ParisT +32 2 627 1104T +33 1 53 83 75 24E thomas.delille@squirepb.com Tatiana HermannPartner, SydneyT +61 2 8248 7814 In the EU, the extensive nature of the FTA means that it willlikely have to be approved both by the EU as a whole (i.e. by José María Viñals As has been observed with previous EU trade agreements,this may prove difficult. Nevertheless, the EC should be ableto “provisionally” apply certain key aspects of the FTA withoutthe individual approval of the member states. Alternatively,the EC could try to split the agreement into an easier to Partner, Madrid, Brussels, GenevaT +34 91 426 4840M +34 649 133 822T +32 2 627 1111E josemaria.vinals@squirepb.com Tigran PiruzyanSenior Associate, MadridT +34 91 520 0772M +34 618 017 354E tigran.piruzyan@squirepb.com The FTA may prove to be politically sensitive in the EU.Agricultural provisions in particular, which already causeda breakdown in negotiations in 2023, are likely to becontroversial. It follows that the road towards the full Guillermo Giralda FustesAssociate and Public Policy Advisor,BrusselsT +322 627 7621E guillermo.giraldafustes@squirepb.com Despite