On Monday 18 June, the EU and Australia formally launched negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström travelled to meet with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Australian Minister for Trade Steven Ciobo in Canberra, Australia to begin the talks. Malmström also met with New Zealand officials on Thursday to launch a parallel set of negotiations. The European Council gave the Commission the green light for bilateral trade talks with both Australia and New Zealand last month. (See Bridges Weekly, 24 May 2018 ) The first round of negotiations on an FTA is set to take place in Brussels, 2-6 July. Bilateral trade between the EU and Australia has climbed steadily in recent years, with nearly €48 billion of trade in goods and €28 billion of trade in services. A European Commission press release suggests that an FTA between the trading partners could boost trade in goods by over a third. “The result of our negotiations will be an agreement that offers clear benefits for both the EU and Australia. It will boost economic opportunity for businesses, both big and small, and create jobs,” said Malmström in response to the launch. A Commission statement also...