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JOINT DECLARATION ON RELATIONS AND COOPERATION BETWEEN
THE EUROPEAN UNION AND NEW ZEALAND
FULL TEXT OF AGREEMENT AND PROGRESS MADE SO FAR
Achievements in the first two years
New Zealand has strong historical and traditional links with Europe. Over 60% of New Zealanders identified themselves with European ethnicity in the 2006 Census.
The Joint Declaration on Relations and Cooperation between the European Union and New Zealand, which was adopted on 21 September 2007, is the basis of the bilateral relationship. The agreement highlights both parties' commitment to strengthen further their relationship across a broad range of fields.
The European Union (EU) and New Zealand have a number of common goals. Both support democracy, the rule of law and human rights as well as multilateral organisations such as the United Nations (UN) and the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
They also have shared interests in tackling key global challenges such as climate change, sustainable development and preserving the environment.
They have both committed themselves to working closely together with the aim of promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region. In particular, they have a shared interest in maintaining strong relationships with the countries of the Pacific.
Both countries support moves towards regional integration in South East Asia and actively participate in the annual ASEAN Regional Forum to promote constructive dialogue on matters of concern in Asia- Pacific region.
The EU and New Zealand have a strong relationship in research, science and technology guided by their new Scientific and Technological Cooperation Agreement, which entered into force in January 2009.
The EU and New Zealand have negotiated a number of agreements, which are designed to facilitate access to each other's markets and reduce exporters' costs. Notable examples include agreements on veterinary standards, horizontal air transport and mutual recognition of standards and certification.
The EU is an important economic partner for New Zealand. It accounts for around 17% of New Zealand 's total two way trade in goods, making it New Zealand's second largest trading partner after Australia . The EU takes some 15% of New Zealand 's total exports valued at NZ$5.8 billion (July 2009).
Tourism is New Zealand's single largest export industry, exceeding the dairy industry in earnings. EU citizens are an important source of New Zealand's income from tourism. The number of visitor arrivals from Europe in the year ending July 2009 totalled almost half a million, a fifth of all visitor arrivals to New Zealand.
BACKGROUND TO THE 2007 EUROPEAN UNION-NEW ZEALAND JOINT DECLARATION
The 2007 Joint Declaration on Relations and Cooperation is the overarching political agreement between the EU and New Zealand. It governs and directs activity between the two partners. It begins by saying what the EU and New Zealand have in common and - because of this commonality - the two agree to work together on specific areas.
The 2007 Joint Declaration is the most recent in a string of agreements between Europe and New Zealand, dating back to 1961 when a New Zealand Ambassador was first accredited to the European Communities. Since then, with each agreement, relations between the EU and New Zealand have strengthened and deepened. Early agreements were in specific products, like sheep meat (1980).
Agreements since have broadened to areas, like research, science and technology (first in 1991) and trade in live animals (1997).
The European Commission (EC) Head of Delegation in Canberra has been accredited to New Zealand since 1984. In 1999, the first Joint Declaration between the EU and New Zealand was signed. This paved the way for closer cooperation on a broad range of issues.
In 2004, this was refreshed through an Action Plan, which specified areas of joint cooperation. The same year, the EC opened a Delegation in Wellington under the stewardship of a Chargé d'Affaires a.i., an important step forward in the relationship.
The present Joint Declaration, signed in 2007, is the most broad and deep agreement between the EU and New Zealand yet. In breadth, it stretches across 11 themes. Within them, it lists actions to implement over an estimated five years.
This brochure gives the text of the agreement and shows the good progress that has been made in the implementation of the Joint Declaration so far.
FULL TEXT OF AGREEMENT AND PROGRESS MADE SO FAR
2007
On 21 September 2007, a Joint Declaration on relations and cooperation between the European Union and New Zealand was adopted in Lisbon between Foreign Minister Mr Luís Amado of Portugal (current holder of the Presidency of the European Union), European Commissioner for External Relations Mrs Benita Ferrero-Waldner, and the New Zealand Foreign Minister Mr Winston Peters.
This document combines and replaces the 1999 Joint Declaration on Relations Between the European Union and New Zealand as well as the 2004 Action Plan.
The new Joint Declaration is an important new document that will guide the EU-New Zealand bilateral relationship until 2012. It reinforces the strengths of the relationship and charts a path forward through further specific, practical proposals for cooperation.
The Joint Declaration sets out a detailed action programme for the EU and New Zealand in such areas as global and regional security, counter-terrorism and human rights, visas, development and economic cooperation, trade, climate change as well as science and technology.
Download the Joint Declaration at:
http://ec.europa.eu/external_relations/new_zealand/docs/joint_declaration_210907.pdf
Download "2007-2009: Achievements over the past two years"
Pictured above: New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters (left) and Portuguese Foreign Minister Luís Amado (photos courtesy of Portugal 2007 - Presidency of the European Union)
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