“This is an excellent start to the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU, in which one of priorities set was expansion and diversification of our trade relations and the strengthening of our supply chains, as well as destination of our exports and investments,” Gómez said.

This new agreement focuses on mitigating present drawbacks to bilateral trade in goods and services and guaranteeing that European companies compete on equal terms with nations that already have a trade agreement with New Zealand, promoting sustainable and inclusive economic development.

On Sunday, the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Trade Valdis Dombrovskis; the Minister of Trade and Export Growth of New Zealand, Damien O’Connor; and the Spanish Ambassador to the EU Marcos Alonso signed the New Zealand-EU Free Trade Agreement in Brussels.

The signing ceremony was also attended by the President of the European Commission Ursula Von der Leyen and New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins.

The EU-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement provides better market access for goods, services, government procurement and intellectual property protection, including EU geographical indications.

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