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2003 European Union-Australia Ministerials
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Australia and
the European Union: an agenda for future cooperation
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The 1997 Joint Declaration on Relations between Australia and the European Union formalised our commitment to enhanced cooperation across a wide-ranging agenda. At our consultations in Brussels in April 2002, we agreed to take stock of developments in our relationship since the signing of the Joint Declaration and to identify priorities for future cooperation.
Our review reveals that, under the Joint Declaration, we have achieved a dynamic work program and intensified exchanges between Australia and the European Union to make progress on a diverse range of common interests (the details are set out in a separate stocktaking document). These have included establishing dialogue processes on trade and economic matters, strategic issues, immigration and asylum, environment policies and initiating bilateral cooperation projects in education and science and technology. We have also created a framework for frank but constructive consultations in areas where we have diverging assessments and perspectives.
The increasing breadth of our engagement
and heightened cooperation has reflected the further integration
of the European Union and its enhanced role in economic policy,
foreign and security policy and on justice and home affairs
issues.
We
reaffirm our determination to build upon our partnership to
meet the challenges of an increasingly interdependent world.
The objectives set out in the Joint Declaration remain a sound
and enduring foundation for enhancing our bilateral relationship
and pursuing cooperation in the international environment.
In particular, we have identified the following areas as high
priorities in our cooperative agenda over the next five years:
Security
and Strategic Issues
Noting
the success of the first Australia-European Union strategic
dialogue in 2002 and, in light of a volatile global environment,
we will increase sharing of our assessments on international
and regional security developments, including through high-level
exchanges on strategic issues. We will devote particular
attention to:
intensifying cooperation on counter-terrorism and critical infrastructure protection, including by exchanging information on international terrorist networks and protection of information infrastructure, and by supporting counter-terrorism capacity-building in the Asia-Pacific region;
enhancing our dialogue on non-proliferation and export control issues, particularly with respect to regulating trade in dual-use items and on our respective engagement with countries of concern;
developing police cooperation, including exploring the possibility of bilateral cooperation between Australian law enforcement authorities and Europol.
Trade
We commit to resolving outstanding issues in our bilateral Wine Agreement.
We will co-operate on progressing the WTO Doha Development Agenda and resolve in particular to progress issues of mutual benefit. Notwithstanding differences in some areas, we will continue in our joint efforts to ensure an ambitious approach overall. We will continue to work closely together with the aim of concluding successfully these negotiations.
As
to developing countries, we will work together
to implement and promote policies
to grant duty- and quota-free market access for
least-developed countries;
to assist these countries with access
to affordable medicines
to deliver technical assistance and
capacity-building activities
We
will focus on resolving differences on bilateralagriculture
and trade issues, including SPS matters, through intensified
consultations, particularly the Agricultural Trade and Marketing
Experts" Group.
The two sides will work together
constructively on internal and international regulatory
frameworks (such as the Office International des Epizooties,
the International Plant Protection Convention and the Codex
Alimentarius).
Regarding the Mutual Recognition Agreement
between us, we will work together to simplify the operation
of the Agreement and to remove existing origin restrictions.
Education
and Science and Technology
We
will also seek to broaden opportunities for students to
participate in exchanges, including exploring Australia's
participation in Erasmus World when adopted.
We
will develop an action plan designed to stimulate collaborative
Australia-European Union scientific and technological projects
within the European Union's Sixth Framework Program for
Research. This will include practical initiatives such
as:
promoting
awareness of science and technology (S&T) collaboration
through
(1) a major annual S&T event;
and (2) information sessions throughout Australia on the
Sixth Framework Program and how Australian researchers can
become involved;
facilitating joint S&T projects
by conducting joint thematic workshops in areas of mutual
interest such as (1) end-use energy efficiency programs;
(2) beef production - management systems and quarantine;
(3) nanomaterials for personal and resource security;
(4) sustainable land transport; and (5) information
society technologies, as proposed to DG Research; and
an evaluation
to assess the outcomes and benefits of joint participation
in the Fifth Framework Program for Research.
We
are committed to make optimal use of the Forum for European-Australian
Science and Technology cooperation (FEAST) as a key vehicle
in this process.]
Transport
We
will develop arrangements between the Australian Global
Navigation Satellite System
Coordination Committee and
the European Commission to enable cooperation associated
with the Galileo Satellite Navigation project, including:
a framework for ongoing cooperation
with the Galileo Joint Undertaking;
on ground infrastructure in
the potential for industrial
co-operation;
scientific and commercial
Galileo applications;
associated industry research
and development
co-operative research in the
field of the radiofrequency spectrum, including research
into mitigation of signal interference
standards
We will increase cooperative activity in
the fields of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) and sustainable
transport strategies.
We will
cooperate closely on transportation, including the aviation
liberalisation agenda in multilateral fora such as the International
Civil Aviation Organization, the Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development and the World Trade Organization
(General Agreement on Trade in Services) and by working
towards a bilateral agreement on relaxing ownership and
control rules, inward investment opportunities, and opportunities
to develop intermodal services in our respective markets.
With a view to facilitating possible
later informal exchange of information and opinions on the
basis of a 'correspondence group', we will exchange
details of headquarters' officials
responsible for different aspects of maritime, aviation
and land transport security.
Environment
On
the basis of the existing framework of cooperation, we will
continue to collaborate on climate change. In particular,
specific attention could be given to:
technology development and
deployment;
climate science, impacts
and adaptation;
harmonisation of emissions
monitoring, reporting, verification and certification
procedures; and
evolution of mitigation commitments.
We
agree to improve mutual understanding of our respective
approaches to environment protection and on how our approaches
impact on international policy setting and our respective
and joint interests.
We
will seek opportunities to cooperate on environmental priorities
and programs, including in the broader Asia-Pacific region.
Development
Cooperation
We
will pursue opportunities for further collaboration in our
development cooperation programs in areas of mutual interest,
including through:
assisting
the recovery and nation-building processes in East Timor
(particularly over the next three years) and in the Solomon
Islands;
gearing programs to build
good governance and economic growth in nations in the
Pacific, particularly PNG; and
providing support and funding
for the Asia Pacific Leadership Forum on HIV/AIDS and
Development.
Migration
and Asylum
We
will enhance our exchange of information and cooperation
on approaches to manage the challenges posed by global people
flows, consulting closely in multilateral fora and bilaterally.
In particular, we will focus on development of policy settings
and practical cooperation with respect to:
asylum seeker and refugee
readmission to countries of first asylum;
improving capacity-building
(including in border management) in third countries that
are of mutual interest;
the integration of migrants
and the nexus between development and migration;
Exchange of information relevant
to fight people-smuggling, human trafficking and relation
transnational crime:
exchange
of information on the development of technologies and electronic
support structures that could assist in combating irregular
migration, and people-smuggling, human trafficking and related
transnational crime, identity
and document fraud.
this page updated August 17, 2006
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