BRUSSELS: New Zealand and the European Union launched free trade talks on Thursday that would give the small farming nation open access to Europe’s 500 million consumers.

The move was announced during a visit to Brussels by New Zealand Prime Minister John Key where he met Euro-pean Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker and EU president Donald Tusk.

“Today we committed to start the process for negotiations to achieve swiftly a deep and comprehensive high-quality Free Trade Agreement,” the three leaders said in a joint statement.

“Discussions to define the scope and overall approach to the negotiations should start as soon as possible,” they said. In 2014, New Zealand placed 51 on the list of the EU’s most important trading partners.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play