  
JOINT DECLARATION ON RELATIONS AND COOPERATION BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN UNION AND NEW ZEALAND
FAQs
What is the European Union?
The European Union (EU) was originally established with the aim of ensuring peace in Europe after the Second World War. The goal was to bring the nations from both sides of the conflict together as equals, cooperating together with shared institutions. Beginning as a group of six countries who worked together to rebuild Europe and to establish free trade, the EU has grown into a union of 27 member states with a population of over 490 million people.
A range of treaties dating back over 50 years have expanded the number of Member States, established common markets and created a political entity unlike any other in the world. Today, the role of the EU is to provide peace prosperity and stability for its peoples, to overcome divisions in Europe, ensure that its peoples live freely and have access to social justice, to meet the challenges of globalisation and preserve the diversity of European culture, and to preserve those values the Europeans share, such as sustainable development, a sound environment, respect for human rights and the social market economy.
How does the EU function as a political entity?
The Council of Ministers, which represents the Member States is the EU's main decision-taking body. When it meets at Heads of State or Government level, it becomes the European Council whose role is to provide the EU with political impetus on key issues. The Council is chaired by the Presidency, which rotates every six months between Member States (1).
The European Parliament, which is directly representative of the people, shares legislative and budgetary power with the Council.
The European Commission, which represents the common interest of the EU, is the main executive body. It has the right to propose legislation and ensures that EU policies are implemented once adopted by the Council/Parliament.
What role does the EU play in the world?
The EU is a key global player. With nearly 500 million citizens, it is the third largest population in the world after China and India. It is the world's biggest trader, accounting for 20% of global imports and exports. The EU is world's largest economy with a GDP of NZ$ 22 trillion in 2006.
The EU is the world's largest aid donor. It provides around 55% of the world's development assistance and sends aid to more than 150 countries, territories and organisations. In 2006, the EU spent a total of NZ$93 billion on aid, which represented 0.42% of the EU's Gross National Income (GNI).
What do Delegations of the European Commission do?
Delegations are part of the European Commission executive and have the role of representing the European Union in the world. They are just like embassies and have official diplomatic accreditation in the countries they are in. The main work of Delegations is to promote the policies of the EU and to work with the governments and agencies of the host country on issues of bilateral interest. Delegations also work alongside Member State Embassies in third countries on issues that are within the competency of the EU. Unlike embassies, European Commission Delegations have no consular role.
 What is the nature of relations between the EU and New Zealand?
New Zealand has strong historical and traditional links with Europe.
Economic Relations
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.
The EU accounts for around 17% of New Zealand's total two way trade in goods, making it New Zealand's second largest market for exports and the second largest source of imports. New Zealand exports around 16 per cent of its total exports to the EU, valued at around NZ$5.2 billion in 2006. In 2006, 67% of New Zealand exports to the EU were agricultural products. Increasingly, New Zealand 's exports to the EU are diversifying into high-end niche food items and manufactured products, raw materials, machinery and technology components - there was a 1000% increase in aircraft exports to the EU in 2006.
Trade in services between EU and NZ in 2005 represented 20% of bilateral trade.
The EU is a significant investment partner for New Zealand. It is New Zealand's second largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) stocks with approximately NZ$10.8 billion of investment stock in 2006. New Zealand's total stock of FDI in the EU was approximately NZ$1.1 billion in 2005.
Political Relations
The 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 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.
The EU and New Zealand have both committed themselves to working closely together with the aim of promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region. In particular, both have a shared interest in maintaining strong relationships with the countries of the Pacific. The EU is an active player in the Pacific region, and is one of the largest donors in the Pacific region.
There are a number of other policy areas where the EU and New Zealand work towards joint goals. These include Education, Research, Science and Technology, Fisheries, Transport, Global Security and the Free Movement of People - all of which are addressed in the Joint Declaration
Want to know more?
Contact the Delegation of the European Union to New Zealand at:
Level 6, Sybase House
101 Lambton Quay
WELLINGTON
Ph. 04 472 9145
Email: delegation-new-zealand@ec.europa.eu
Joint Declaration 2009 update (download)
updated October 2009
 
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